JoJo's Remnant Adventure
by SeraShadow
Summary: During his battle against the evil Dio Brando, Jonathan Joestar is suddenly transported to an unknown field away from his allies. The gentlemanly Joestar encounters black-furred creatures that he'd never seen before and a mysterious man with a large sword and red cape. Upon realizing he wasn't in his own world and seeing the shattered moon, Jonathan has a problem on his hands.
1. Chapter 1: Old Conflict, New World

**Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure or any of the characters. Also, please leave a review on if you liked or disliked this fanfic! I'm curious if people are liking this or not. Criticism is accepted.**

"DIOOOOOOO!" Jonathan yelled as he charged towards Dio, who had just made short work of Dire.  
"JOJO!" Dio growled as he turned towards the approaching Joestar.  
"That's the way, JoJo! You'll eviscerate that evil bastard with your Hamon!" Speedwagon cheered loudly in that way that he always does.  
But, as soon as Jonathan was about to cleave the Vampire in half with his new blade, Pluck, JoJo experienced a flash of purple light, and he suddenly just wasn't there anymore.  
"Hm?!" Dio exclaimed as his hand passed through nothingness,  
"Where did you go, JOJO?"  
"He just disappeared!" Straizo exclaimed.  
"But what was that light?!" Speedwagon balled his fists.

Dio then turned to the remaining Hamon users, and Speedwagon, with a malicious smile on his face.  
"It seems that we're all alone now, hmm?" Dio snapped his fingers and gave a fanged smile, "Zombies, attack!"

[Line Break]

Jonathan's eyes shot open and he sat up, putting a hand on his head as if it were in pain.  
"Argh, my head. But where...am I?" he asked himself as he looked around, taking in his surroundings. He was in the middle of a large, grassy field with trees ringing the edge.  
As he got to his feet, he recounted his recent memories.  
 _Okay, I was fighting Dio with Speedwagon, Dire, Straizo, and Tonpetty, then...there was this bright purple light, and then I was here._  
 _"_ Well, I'd better try to get back to them, they're going to need my help to fight Dio! But...where exactly am I...?  
JoJo looked in the distance to see the setting sun going ever lower as he stood there.  
"If the sun is setting there, then THAT way is north," Jonathan announced, mostly to himself, then began marching in the direction that he deduced was north.

[Line Break]

In a very far away castle, a very pale woman sat upon a dark throne with her most trusted advisors sitting around a long table. Outside, you could see the desolate wasteland that surrounds the castle.  
"Forgive me my lady, but was that a wise decision?" a man in a black and yellow suit asked, his green eyes twinkling in the light.  
"With him here, that "vampire" individual's position is secure to rule that world. And once he secures said position, we can move in and take his world for our own." the pale woman said simply.  
"Yes I get that, but why send that young man here, of all places? He could potentially pose a threat." the man replied smoothly.  
"No need to worry, Watts. I've already thought of a plan for that." a cold smile spread across the woman's face, her red eyes beginning to glow in the dark room.

[Line Break]

After several hours, Jonathan eventually came to a cliff edge that had a small, grey tombstone near the edge. JoJo approached the tombstone, and bent down to get a better look at it. Upon closer inspection, it had a large decorative rose engraved into the face, along with the words, "Summer Rose. A great Huntress, mother, and friend."  
Jonathan got on one knee and bent his head down to pay his respects to the deceased woman. After a moment or so, he stood and gazed at the horizon.  
 _"Seems sort of odd for them to add her game hunting abilities on her grave stone. Perhaps she was very passionate about her hobby."_ Jonathan speculated, then turned towards the forest, quickly scanning the trees and bushes.  
 _"I can't help but feel like I'm being watched..but from where?"_ he thought to himself.

JoJo once again began to tread through dense forest, pushing the thick foliage out of his way as he made his way north.  
 _"It's a real shame about that woman...I wonder if her children will be alright without their mother."_ he thought to himself, knowing firsthand what it's like to grow up without a mother.  
JoJo then heard a loud rustling in the forest to his right, shaking him out of his thoughts and causing him to stop in his tracks.  
"Hello? Is there someone there that could assist me?" Jonathan asked hopefully.  
That's when a large, black creature charged through the bushes towards Jonathan.  
JoJo quickly dodged out of the way and inspected his assailant.  
The creature resembled a canine, but had midnight black fur with red glowing eyes, and natural white armor that seemed to be made out of bone.  
"And just what sort of creature are you?" Jonathan asked as he got into a fighting stance.  
He heard more rustling, and was quickly surrounded by the wolf-like monsters.  
"A pack, eh?" Jonathan warily watched them.  
One of them behind JoJo began to rush towards him, but JoJo expected that.  
 **"Kooooooh!"**  
Jonathan turned around and punched the monster under the chin with his Hamon-charged fist.  
The dark creature howled in pain, but disintegrated into shadow.  
"What an oddity," JoJo thought to himself.  
The other creatures continued to stare down the young Joestar, seeming to not care for their fallen comrade.  
JoJo continued his focused breathing as he put his spread hand in front of his face in a sort of pose.  
The creatures all howled as one and began to circle around Jonathan.  
JoJo's eyes switched from one wolf to the other, trying to gauge which one would attack.  
 _"This is not good, if it were just a few I'd be fine, but I count eight of them, minus the one I've already defeated"_  
Then just as one of them was about to attack, JoJo heard a loud "BOOM" sound, and the creature's head exploded, causing it to disintegrate into darkness just like its comrade.  
"Huh?" Jonathan turned towards the source of the sound.  
A lone man dressed in a white stylish button up shirt with a red cape-like cloth on his back and simple black slacks was currently running towards the Joestar, wielding a huge sword that put JoJo's own _Pluck_ to shame.  
The man quickly sliced several of the monsters in half as Jonathan stood there, watching with his mouth gaping open.  
Soon enough, all the monsters were nothing but small pools of liquidy shadow.  
The man turned to Jonathan, a smug smirk on his face as he rested his sword on his shoulder.  
JoJo quickly spotted a pair of red, glowing eyes behind his savior and rushed towards them.  
The man, not knowing what Jonathan was doing, got into a defensive position. But JoJo ran clear past him, punching into the bushes.  
 **"Koooooooh, Overdrive!"** Jonathan yelled, sending his fists into the creature.  
When Jonathan turned around, a large bear-like monster fell out of the bushes and landed on its belly, just before turning into shadow like the rest.  
The man with the sword had a shocked, but impressed, expression on his face.  
"Whoa kid, nice job" he said in a gruff, but raspy voice.  
"Thank you," JoJo said, then reached his hand out warmly, "Jonathan Joestar."  
The man raised his eyebrows, but shook JoJo's hand.  
"Qrow Branwen," he stated.  
"Much thanks for coming to my aid, Mister Qrow." Jonathan thanked.  
"It's no problem, kid, but what are you doing out here?" he asked.  
"I'm trying to get back to my allies, I seem to have been...separated from them." Jonathan said vaguely.  
Qrow raised an eyebrow, _"This is the guy I was told to search for? He does seem to have an unknown '_ _ **ability**_ _', but he seems clueless about how he got here"_ Qrow thought to himself.  
"Not an issue, Jonathan, I'll see if I can help you out"  
"Thank you very much, mister, but one question: how'd you know I was out here?" Jonathan asked as Qrow began to turn and walk.  
Qrow stopped and looked at him, "I saw you by Summer's grave. I was visiting it, but as soon as I left the clearing, you showed up. Figured I'd tail you to see who you were." he said calmly.  
"You knew the woman?" JoJo asked curiously.  
"Yeah. She's...an old friend." Qrow said, a hint of sadness on his voice.  
"Well...let's get out of this forest and you can tell me about it, shall we?" JoJo asked, then began to follow Qrow.

[Line Break]

It was pitch black outside when Jonathan and Qrow finally made it out of the forest, much to JoJo's glee.  
"Finally!" JoJo sighed, "I've been walking in there for hours!"  
"And it shows," Qrow chuckled to himself.  
But, JoJo's happiness was cut short as soon as he looked up into the night sky. His breath hitched, and his eyes widened in shock.  
Qrow raised an eyebrow at the young man, then realization dawned on him.  
 _"I guess Oz wasn't lying when he said this guy wasn't from around here."_ Qrow thought to himself.  
"WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BLOODY MOON?!"


	2. Chapter 2: A Bizarre New World

**A/N: I went back and corrected my grammar mistakes in this, as best as I could anyway. Like in my first chapter, leave a review if you would be so kind. I'm interested to know what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong. Enjoy Chapter 2.**

After JoJo got over his initial shock, Qrow Branwen led him to a nearby inn located in a small village to their west. After Qrow bought a room for the night, he and Jonathan sat at a small table near what appeared to be a bar. Qrow was currently breaking to Jonathan what Ozpin had told him.

"So you're saying that I'm on an entirely different planet? My apologies but I find that a tad hard to believe, mister" JoJo deadpanned, crossing his muscled arms.

"Look kid I'm telling you the truth. How else would you explain the moon, or those monsters we fought? Is your moon like that, do you have those evil creatures on your paradise planet?" Qrow looked him in the eye.

"Even if I did believe you, how would I have gotten here in the first place?" Jonathan asked.

"That's what we don't know. My companion informed me that he felt the presence of someone not of this world, told me to find you, and bam, here you are. On Remnant." Qrow sighed.

"Remnant?"

"That's the name of this world, kiddo, and if you're stuck here, you've got a lot to learn" Qrow took a sip of the brown liquor in his glass.

"How else could you prove it to me that I'm actually on another world?" JoJo narrowed his eyes.

Qrow thought for a moment, then pulled out a small, white rectangular object. He pressed the orange button in the center, and the object grew in length until the two ends were held together by a piece of glass.

"What is that device?" Jonathan gazed at the object as Qrow typed on the screen a few times. A picture suddenly displayed, and Qrow turned the screen so Jonathan could see.  
"Are these...continents?" Jonathan asked.

"Yep, this is a map of Remnant and the four kingdoms: Vale, Vacuo, Atlas, and Mistral. Proof enough for you?" Qrow took another drink.

"I...am beginning to come around." Jonathan's eyes widened.

"Like I said, my companion said he felt your presence, and he's not usually wrong."

"But still, how could I have gotten here?"

Qrow shrugged, "We have a few ideas, but none of em are good."

"Mister, I-"

"Okay stop with the 'mister' stuff, kid, just call me Qrow."

"Qrow- I have to get back. My friends are fighting an impossible battle, and they need my help. I was in the middle of fighting when I was suddenly in a field. I... I fear they're dead already." JoJo cast his eyes down.

Qrow drank from his glass and sighed, "Tell you what kid, tomorrow I'll take you to my friends and maybe they can help you out. I myself can't do much in this case, but I'll help if I can."

Jonathan looked up at the drunkard, "Sounds like a plan, mis- I mean Qrow."

Qrow nodded, then finished his glass, "For now though, let's get some rest. We got a long walk to the nearest airship."

Qrow stood and placed a card-like object on the table to pay for his drink.  
"What is an airship?" Jonathan asked as he caught up with Qrow.

[Line Break]

"This isn't good mistress, not good at all." the man Watts paced back and forth by the large throne.

"Calm yourself, Doctor. Nothing too bad has happened yet. Just because that boy managed to defeat my Beowolves doesn't mean anything. He's just a bit more formidable than we originally thought, so we'll have to try harder. Perhaps one of you can take care of this little... problem," the woman on the throne gazed around the table in front of her.

Tyrian, the crazed scorpion faunus, began to giggle maniacally to himself, gradually increasing in volume.  
A few of the others shifted nervously, as if they were uncomfortable with the prospect of facing someone from a different world.

"Well?" the woman demanded.

"I'll do it," Tyrian smiled menacingly when he abruptly stopped his manic giggling.

"Very well, Tyrian. But, if you're able, I want you to capture him. I'd like to see this...off-worlder. But if capture isn't possible, just kill him." she waved a hand dismissively.

Tyrian stood and bowed with a crazed and eager expression on his face.  
"As you wish, Mistress Salem"

[Line Break]

"Rise and shine, kid. We better head out early while everyone's still sleeping," Qrow said relatively loudly to the drowsy Joestar.

Jonathan rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, then swung his legs over the edge of the queen-sized bed he slept in the previous night.

As Qrow was making sure his weapon was in top condition, Jonathan redressed himself and slung his small pack over his shoulders, now filled with rations and medical supplies in case of emergency.

Even though Qrow was the more experienced fighter with the sword that _definitely_ needed more than average human strength, he still stood several inches shorter than the six-foot five giant Englishman.

While Jonathan was waiting for Qrow to finish with his weapon, he sat and did several breathing exercises to help strengthen his Hamon.

After several minutes, Qrow announced, "All right, let's get to it."  
JoJo opened his eyes and stood, then followed Qrow out of the small inn.

After they got outside and were walking down a dirt path, Qrow looked over to the Joestar and asked, "What was with that breathing you were doing earlier?"

"Oh, that? That's just a breathing exercise I do to help my Hamon get stronger. You know, kind of like doing push-ups every morning to get physically stronger." JoJo smiled.

"Right, but what's this 'Hamon' thing? I've never heard of it."

"It's an ancient type of martial art from...from my world. It allows the user to use life energy from the sun to destroy dark evils, like those monsters from yesterday, or the zombies I fought back home. But it also has other properties, like healing, or making the user age slower than normal. My friend, Baron Zeppelli, looked like he was no more than in his early thirties, but when he...died, he looked very much older." Jonathan explained, sadness in his voice at remembering his deceased friend.

"I'm sorry about your friend. But all in all, this Hamon thing doesn't sound half bad." Qrow said.

Jonathan raised his fist and allowed Hamon to cause it to start sparking with energy.  
"It's my only weapon in this strange world," JoJo gazed at the yellow sun energy.  
"Maybe not," Qrow smirked.

"Hm?" Jonathan asked, but Qrow wouldn't say any more.

They continued to walk in silence for another few minutes, until Jonathan stopped.  
"What is it, kid?" Qrow asked.

"You can come out now, there's no use hiding anymore," Jonathan announced, looking around.  
Qrow pulled out his sword and got into a fighting stance.

A clapping could be heard from their left. A man with brown hair braided into a ponytail came out of the darkness, clapping.

JoJo's eyes narrowed once he saw the newcomer's eyes. He'd seen that level of cruelty in only one other person: Dio Brando.

"Bravo, bravo. People rarely sense my presence. Why, not even the great Qrow Branwen could," he said with a cold look on his face, and a malicious smile.

"Jonathan, this guy's bad news," Qrow warned.

"Don't worry, Qrow. If I can deal with my brother, then I can surely best this fiend in combat," JoJo said, standing defensively.

The man began laughing. Quiet and controlled at first, then loud and manic.  
"You really think so? Well, we'll just have to see about _that_."

"Jonathan, seriously," Qrow warned again, his voice a bit nervous.

Jonathan decided to believe Qrow's warning, backing off slightly. But the enemy had other plans. He jumped towards the two with bladed gauntlets. Qrow barely had time to block the attack, then the enemy immediately kicked him back, sending the Hunter twenty feet backwards and into a tree. The enemy tried to slice at JoJo, but Jonathan blocked it with his Hamon-filled forearm.

"Mistress only wanted you dead, but that's probably because she didn't expect Qrow to find you first, so I'll have to kill you _both!"_ The stranger laughed at Jonathan, blatantly ignoring that he was supposed to take him alive.

JoJo kicked him back and regained his footing.  
"Pray tell, just who _are_ you? And what of this 'mistress'?" Jonathan asked.

The man smiled then bowed low to the ground, "Tyrian, at your service. As for, my mistress, well, Qrow could tell you all about that, if it weren't for the fact that you're both gonna **die** today," he laughed again.

"We'll see about that, you creten," Jonathan began focusing his Hamon into his hands.

Then Qrow charged Tyrian out of nowhere, but Tyrian simply blocked the attack with a...  
"Is that a scorpion tail?" Jonathan exclaimed.

Qrow and Tyrian continued to exchange blows, each attack being blocked or dodged by the other.

JoJo approached the two as they rapidly threw out attacks at each other.  
Jonathan was currently behind Tyrian, so he nodded at Qrow before attacking.

 **"Koooooooh"** Jonathan breathed before striking Tyrian in the back.

But Tyrian had other plans. He blocked the attack with his scorpion tail, successfully catching JoJo's fist by wrapping the tail around his wrist.  
He bent over backwards, literally, to look Jonathan in the eye.

"Tried to pull a fast one on me, eh?"

JoJo quickly winked at Qrow to halt him.  
"Tell me, is this tail organic?" JoJo asked nonchalantly.

Tyrian's eyes narrowed, "Of course you fool, it's a part of _me."_

Jonathan smirked, "That's all I needed to know"

Tyrian looked at him curiously, cocking his head to the side.  
"Hamon Overdrive!" JoJo yelled as he sent Hamon into Tyrian through his tail.  
Tyrian's face contorted in pain before he released JoJo's hand and jumped back, straight into Qrow.

"Your tail makes a fine conductor!" JoJo laughed just before Qrow batted Tyrian into a tree with his sword.

"Nice job, Jonathan" Qrow smirked.

"Thank you, Qrow. Now, shall we finish this fool off?" Jonathan cracked his knuckles.

"I thought you'd never ask," Qrow gripped his sword.

But something unexpected happened. Tyrian began laughing.  
"Did you really think a little of that energy would take _me_ down?'

"No, that's why I'm about to hit you with everything I have," Jonathan grinned.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" He laughed.

"Right about...now!" JoJo exclaimed, then some vines from the tree that Tyrian smacked into began to wrap around his torso, effectively pinning him.

"WHAT?! How?!" he yelled furiously.

"Did you catch it, Qrow?" JoJo asked.

"That I did, kid." he smirked.

"When I put Hamon into you, some of it transferred into that tree, then the vines did exactly what I expected them to do" Jonathan smiled.

"That doesn't make any sense!" Tyrian exclaimed.

"Seems you need a lesson on Ripple Energy," Jonathan cracked his knuckles again.

"Ripple what?"

"You wanna take him, Qrow? Or shall I?" Jonathan asked, ignoring Tyrian.

"Eh, you can take him, it was your idea after all," Qrow shrugged.

Jonathan smiled, "With pleasure."

As Tyrian uselessly struggled, JoJo casually approached him.  
Once he got near, fear flashed in Tyrian's yellow eyes.

 **"Kooooooh Sunlight Yellow OVERDRIVE!"** Jonathan yelled as he delivered a barrage of Hamon filled punches to Tyrian's face, arms, and torso.

"Uaghhh!" Tyrian exclaimed in pain as he was sent _through_ the tree, which was broken in half by the force of Jonathan's punches.

As Jonathan stood panting, Tyrian quickly stood, holding his left arm with his right as a transparent purple energy flickered around him, as if it were some sort of force field.  
His eyes were filled with absolute hate, and he was about to lunge again, but he stopped himself.

"She'll forgive you. She'll forgive you." Tyrian told himself, then turned around and sprinted away before Jonathan could chase after him.

Qrow shot at him a few times, but no luck. Tyrian was already out of range.  
"You did good, kid. And I think we just learned how you got here," Qrow said as he stowed his sword away.

Jonathan turned to him with a cheeky grin on his face.  
"Well, shall we continue on our journey?" he asked.  
"You got it, Jonny-boy" Qrow smirked.

Jonathan chuckled at the name, "Please just call me JoJo."

Qrow chuckled, "Whatever you say. C'mon, let's get to that airship."


	3. Chapter 3: A Beacon of Hope

**A/N: A good thing is that I'm making these chapters longer and longer, eh? As always, leave a review on what you liked and disliked.**

It took them another whole day to reach the location where the airship was, but they'd finally made it. After Tyrian, they didn't run into anymore interference except for the occasional small Grimm. During their travels, Qrow took the opportunity to explain things about Remnant that Jonathan should know, like the existence of Faunus, Dust, semblances, Aura, and the training academies that taught young men and women how to fight the creatures of Grimm. Qrow didn't inform JoJo of Salem though, he thought it was best if he let Ozpin do that. Jonathan, however, was amazed at the existence of all this, especially the advanced technology. In England, the most advanced form of transportation were horse drawn carriages and locomotives, but on Remnant, machines like airships and automobiles existed.  
As they were nearing their destination, JoJo was being told about the White Fang and why he should avoid them.

"But why does their cause exist in the first place?" JoJo asked curiously.

"Well, how can I say this, kid? There are some people in the world that can be worse than the Grimm. Evil people, that treat the Faunus as animals instead of people, get it?"

"I believe so, I just don't see why these Faunus aren't being treated as equals, what does it matter if they're a little different?" Jonathan stated.

Qrow clapped him on the back, "At least you see it the right way, that's all that matters for now."

"You said these White Fang members are getting more extreme?" Jonathan asked.

Qrow nodded gravely, "That's right. They used to be better, fighting with peaceful protests, but since their leadership changed, they've gotten violent. _Especially_ in the Vale area."

"Well then, I'll be sure to avoid them."

Qrow chuckled, "Might not be that easy, kid."

"Is that the airship?" JoJo pointed at a large, grey heap of metal.

"That's it. Hope you don't get airsick."

"I wouldn't know, I've never traveled by air," Jonathan smiled eagerly.

 _"Oh boy,"_ Qrow thought to himself.

"So, how long should it take to get there?" Jonathan asked.

"Not long, a few hours maybe," Qrow shrugged, "Come on, I'd rather get to Beacon sooner than later."

Jonathan followed Qrow to the docking ramp. There was a bit of trouble getting on, but Qrow only showed the captain his scroll, and the captain let them pass.

"What'd you show the captain to allow us to pass?" Jonathan asked.

"A letter on my scroll from the headmaster of Beacon. Same guy that told me about you being here," Qrow replied as they took their seats.

"So what's Beacon like?" Jonathan asked curiously.

Qrow looked at him with kind eyes and a grin, "Nice school, it's where my sister and I learned to be Huntsmen. In fact, my two nieces are attending as well."

"Sounds splendid," JoJo smiled, then his expression turned to a serious one,"...are your nieces the daughters of that woman, Summer Rose?"

Qrow looked at him, amazed that he figured it out that quickly.  
"Only one of em, actually, Ruby. My other niece, Yang, is my sister's daughter," Qrow explained.

JoJo nodded in understanding and gazed out of the airship's window. The ocean below him was a deep blue.

"This airship is amazing, I never thought I'd be able to fly like a bird." JoJo grinned.  
Qrow looked at him, blinked, then laughed to himself.

"What is it?" Jonathan asked.

"Nothing, just, ironic," Qrow chuckled.

Jonathan blinked, but dismissed the statement.

During the flight, Jonathan couldn't help but think about the world he left behind. He thought about his manor, his father, Dio, Erina, Speedwagon, Danny, Zepelli, and his childhood. So many bitter memories, all because of Dio's lust for power.

"JoJo," Qrow shook his shoulder.

"My apologies, what's the matter?" JoJo looked at Qrow.

"I said we're almost there," Qrow pointed out the window at a huge tower in the distance, surrounded by large structures and smaller towers, with a massive city not far from the academy.

"That," Qrow said, "Is Beacon Academy."

[Line Break]

"You _what?"_ Salem demanded once Tyrian had explained his failure.

"They bested me, Mistress. That boy- he has no ordinary power. And Qrow Branwen was there, too! There was little I could do against the two of them," Tyrian explain quickly, bowing on his hands and knees with his forehead to the floor.

"But...you forgive me, right...?" Tyrian pleaded.

Salem sighed, "Under the circumstances, I forgive you for now."  
Tyrian looked up hopefully.

" _But,_ " Salem said coldly, "If you fail me _again,_ I won't be so kind."  
Tyrian rose to his feet slowly, "Thank you, Mistress, I won't fail you a second time!" Tyrian exclaimed out of sheer happiness.

"Now leave," Salem ordered.

"Yes ma'am, right away," Tyrian scurried away.

Once he was gone, Salem looked to her right, "Inform Cinder of this little...ordeal. Maybe _she_ will take care of this problem for us."

A large, burly man with hazel eyes and brown hair stood.  
"As you wish," he said in a deep and rough voice.

[Line Break]

Jonathan Joestar and Qrow were now riding in an elevator that would take them straight to Professor Ozpin's office. JoJo was however trying to deduce how the elevator worked, with Qrow telling him if he'd guessed right or not.

"Men are pulling us up by cords?"

"You crazy? This thing weighs a ton."

"Electricity is causing us to move up and down somehow?"

"Nope."

Jonathan thought for a moment.  
"Is there perhaps an old wizard lifting us up with his magic powers?"

Qrow blinked, "Really?"

"I'm guessing that's a no?"

"Yes, JoJo, that's a no."

"...Is it a pulley system?"

"Finally!" Qrow exclaimed, right as the elevator doors dinged open.  
Jonathan and Qrow stepped into the large office. It had a single large desk with a couple chairs in front of it, and a man with grey hair wearing round spectacles and a dark colored suit. Behind the man were huge windows with a view of the school.  
The man looked up at his visitors, then stood to greet them.

"Hello," he smiled kindly.

"Hey, Oz," Qrow waved.

"A pleasure to meet you, Professor," Jonathan smiled warmly.

"And I, you" Ozpin neared them with his cane.

"Here he is, Oz, safe and sound" Qrow told the professor.

"I see, and you are...?" Ozpin held out his hand.

"Jonathan Joestar," JoJo shook his hand firmly, but not too firm.

"Professor Ozpin," Ozpin greeted.

"I'm told you can help me with my little issue," JoJo smiled.

"I'll certainly try my best, but do you know how you got here?" he asked.  
Qrow cleared his throat, "I think it was, well, _you know who."_

"I see," Ozpin replied.

"Forgive me, who?" JoJo asked.

Qrow and Ozpin looked at each other, then both nodded.  
"This woman. Well, uh, how should I say this?" Professor Ozpin said.

"You know the Grimm? Well she's like their 'queen', she wants all human and Faunus life on Remnant gone, and she'll stop at nothing to accomplish it," Qrow explained.

JoJo paid attention to every word, "So I'm assuming she's a problem."

Qrow chuckled, "That's a huge understatement. Nothin' we got is any good against her, so for now, we have no way of defeating her."

 _"We have a few possible ways, but we're not going to divulge such sensitive information so easily. It's already very dangerous that we're telling him this,"_ Professor Ozpin thought to himself.

"I see. Well if this woman did in fact send me here, then that means she has the power to return me, right?" Jonathan said.

Qrow nodded, "In theory, but we don't know anything for sure. For now we only have theories."

"But it is very possible that you're right, Jonathan," Ozpin told him.

JoJo nodded at the headmaster, then a question popped into his head.  
"What will I do until we can find a way to get me to my world?" he asked.

"I've already thought of a solution to that, actually," Ozpin said with a gleam in his eyes.

"Oz, you thinking the same thing?" Qrow asked.

"Indeed. Jonathan, in exchange for us trying to find you a way home and for giving you food and a place to stay, you only need to attend Beacon. Learn more about Remnant and its inhabitants, you might enjoy it. As a bonus you'll learn more about fighting," Professor Ozpin offered.

Jonathan already expected this to happen, and he was sort of hoping it'd end up this way. Jonathan might know next to nothing about this world, besides what Qrow had told him, but he was interested in learning more.

"Professor, you have yourself a deal," Jonathan offered a hand, and Ozpin shook it in response.

"I'm glad you've agreed, Jonathan," Ozpin said, then his expression turned to one of seriousness,

"Now, before we move any further, I want you two to tell me about your fight against this 'Tyrian' character."

[Line Break]

"A boy from another world, huh? If Salem herself wants this person to be dead, then he must pose a real threat," Cinder said to herself as she let a small fire dance between her fingers, her eyes glowing gold in the night.

[Line Break]

"While you're here, know that we do not tolerate ill behavior towards other students or faculty members, _especially_ not towards our Faunus individuals. Tensions in that area are...especially sensitive," Professor Ozpin explained smoothly as he and Jonathan strolled towards the cafeteria.

"Believe me sir, I have no intention of causing any trouble in the school," Jonathan replied as he adjusted his new uniform. They barely had a size that would even come close to fitting JoJo's well-built figure.

"Very good. You did say that you came from a noble family, correct?" Ozpin glanced over.

"Yes, my family was well known in my country as one of the noblest of families. I hope to return to it one day soon," JoJo said.

"As do I. But, there's a particular individual you will most likely get along with, she is also from a very noble family. In fact, her family is the lead in Dust manufacturing."

"Interesting, perhaps the two of us will meet soon," JoJo stated.

"Sooner than you think," Ozpin said with smile tugging at the edge of his mouth.

"Also while you're here, I recommend being especially careful during combat, you have no aura, so you're at a much greater risk of being fatally injured than the other students here," Ozpin warned.

"Don't worry professor, I'll be careful" Jonathan assured the professor.

"I very much hope so. Though you did inform me of your abilities and what you're capable of, you should still be cautious. Some creatures of Grimm are exceptionally dangerous, so I'd recommend staying away from anything bigger than your typical Ursa," Professor Ozpin warned.

"I'll remember that, thank you for the warning, Professor," JoJo nodded.  
Professor Ozpin nodded as they neared the cafeteria.

"Most of the students are already inside there, so if you want you can go ahead and introduce yourse-" Ozpin started, but was interrupted by a great number of students running out of the cafeteria as fast as they could.

"What's going on?" Jonathan asked. He looked inside the cafeteria through the windows to their right, and saw...complete pandemonium.

On top of a mountain of piled tables was an orange haired girl with her hands on her hips, shouting, "I'M QUEEN OF THE CASTLE, I'M QUEEN OF THE CASTLE!"  
Then a short girl with short dark hair pointed at the heap of tables and announced, "Justice will be swift, justice will be painful, it will be DELICIOUS!"

Then her and three other girls rushed towards the four students by the mountain of tables, and then proceeded to one-on-one fight each other with various types of food.

"Is that girl boxing with turkeys?" Jonathan asked.

"It would seem so," Ozpin chuckled at the scene.

Two boys approached JoJo and Ozpin as they watched the unfolding scene, one with spiky blond hair and a monkey tail, and the other with short blue hair and goggles on his head.  
"Wassup, you two watching the food fight too?" the blond one asked.

Professor Ozpin turned to face the two newcomers with a small smile.  
The two boys then realized who they just approached.

"P-P-Professor Ozpin, we're sorry we didn't know it was you," the blond one said.

"It's quite alright, are you two transfer students for the Vytal Festival?" Ozpin said kindly.

"Yes sir, we're from Haven Academy. Sun here knows team RWBY, and he wanted to introduce them to me," The blue haired one explained.

"That's fine too, I was just taking young Jonathan here to meet them, in fact. He's a new student here, just started today," Ozpin explained.

"Hello, Jonathan Joestar, pleased to meet you," JoJo greeted.

"Hi, I'm Sun Wukong, and this is my 'too cool for school' team mate Neptune," the blond one greeted.

"Sup" Neptune said cooly.

"If you'll excuse me, I have to go take care of this mess," Ozpin said, then followed an angry-looking blonde lady with green eyes into the cafeteria.

"So, you were gonna meet team RWBY?" Sun asked.

"I guess so, I wasn't aware of it until Professor Ozpin said it just now," JoJo admitted.

"That's fine, they're a pretty cool group of girls, and well, you can see what sort of shenanigans they get into," Sun grinned, gesturing to the windows of the cafeteria.

JoJo chuckled, scratching the back of his head, "It's definitely a surprise."

"You excited for your first year at Beacon?" Neptune asked.

"It seems like a great school, and I'm interested to learn more about it," JoJo glanced at Sun's monkey tail, "So you're a faunus, huh?"

Sun's expression went from kind to defensive, "Problem?"

JoJo realized that he had been rude to ask that, "Oh forgive me Sun, I didn't mean to be rude. But no, I have no problem with the faunus people what so ever."

Sun relaxed some, "Sorry man, these days it's a bit hard to be a faunus."

"Believe me, I know," JoJo glanced between the two.

"How so? No offense Jonathan, but you come off as someone from high up family. Probably a noble one like Weiss, if I had to guess," Sun crossed his arms.

Jonathan chuckled nervously, "That's pretty accurate, actually."

Sun's expression turned playful again, "A-ha! Knew it!"

Jonathan and Neptune laughed at the blond.

Then as if on cue, six girls, two boys, the blond lady from before, and Professor Ozpin exited the cafeteria.  
Once the students saw Sun and Neptune, they waved and began walking towards us. Professor Ozpin nodded at Jonathan, then waved his goodbye and walked in the opposite direction with the woman.  
The eight students were covered from head to toe in food, and half of them were even soaked in different colored liquids.

"Hey Sun! Who's your friends?" the short haired girl from earlier asked. Upon closer inspection, the girls hair was black at the roots but transitioned to red the further down it got.

"Oh, this is my team mate Neptune, and this is Jonathan Joestar, he's a new student here actually." Sun introduced the two.

"Sup," Neptune waved.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance," JoJo bowed forward slightly with his hand over his heart.

The dark-haired girl leaned over to a girl with pale skin, white hair, and ice-blue eyes.  
"The tall one reminds me of you," she said not so quietly.

"Hey!" she puffed out her cheeks in an attempt to look angry, causing the other students to laugh.

"So Jonathan, did Professor Ozpin tell you which team you'd be on?" the white-haired girl asked, standing in a stance that Jonathan had seen a thousand times. This girl was either royalty or damn near close. JoJo could tell by the way she carried herself.

"I'm afraid not, miss. Honestly, I didn't even know that students were on teams until I met Sun and Neptune here," JoJo admitted.

"Well that's not good, where are you supposed to go?" a girl with long blonde hair and lilac eyes said.

"I don't know, all he said was that he wanted me to meet all of you," Jonathan admitted, looking between all the students in front of him. In turn, they glanced at each other and shrugged.

"Well, he's new right? Let's give him a warm Beacon welcome!" the girl with short black and red hair jumped into the air with her fist to the sky.

Jonathan couldn't help but laugh at the small girl's enthusiasm.  
Neptune looked between Sun and JoJo, then gave a cool smile.

"Well it'd be rude to turn down her offer."

"Indeed it would," JoJo agreed.

The blond one smiled at the tall Englishman, "Yeah it'd be fun."

[Line Break]

"You know, when I said we were gonna have fun, this is _not_ what I had in mind," the blonde girl said.

After the food fight participants cleaned up, the eleven of them were now sitting in the library around a big table, playing "Hi, my name is (blank) and an interesting fact about me is (blank).

"Oh get over it, we have to welcome our new student!" the short, dark haired one exclaimed.

The long-haired blonde rolled her eyes, "Fine. Someone start it off"

Neptune raised his hand, "I will. My name is Neptune Vasilias. Ladies man." he winked at the one that JoJo remembered was Weiss.

"My turn!" Sun jumped up and pushed Neptune back into his seat, "Name's Sun Wukong, and my weapon is this wicked bo staff that turns into gun-nunchuks. Gunchuks, if you will."

When Sun sat down, a red-haired girl with green eyes raised her hand.  
"I'd be surprised if there was anyone who didn't know me here, but I'm Pyrrha Nikos, and I'm...on the cover of the Pumpkin Pete cereal box." the girl, Pyrrha smiled at Neptune, Sun, and JoJo.

A blonde boy with blue eyes stood and looked at the trio of newcomers, "Jaune Arc, and my fact is that I have no interesting facts." he sat down with a dorky grin.

Weiss stood and did a curtsy, "Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company," she sat down and gave a polite smile on her face. The heiress seemed to appear perfect in every way, in her own way, except for a scar over her left eye.

The busty blonde reluctantly raised her hand, "Yang Xiao Long, and if anything harms my hair, it gets destroyed."

" _Yang? Where have I heard that name?"_ Jonathan asked himself.

There was a moment of silence before the orange haired, hyperactive girl jumped up on the table, "Nora Valkyrie! And I love PANCAKES and VIOLENCE!" she stated proudly, then returned to her seat.

Nora nudged the boy beside her, "Uh, Lie Ren. And I'm uhhhh..." he trailed off.

"He's a ninja!" Nora exclaimed.

"Essentially, yes." Ren said calmly.

A girl with long black hair turned to Sun, Neptune, and JoJo.  
"My name is Blake Belladonna, and I'm trying to help the Faunus get equal rights."

"That's very noble of you, Blake. I'm glad you're helping them," JoJo smiled kindly. He thought he saw her black bow twitch slightly, but he concluded that he was seeing things, so he dismissed it.

"Thanks, Jonathan, I'm glad you don't dislike the Faunus." she gave a small smile.

"I don't like how they're treated simply because they're different. As a gentleman I believe it's a bit ridiculous to treat another person as if they aren't your equal," Jonathan stated proudly.

"Maybe you could learn a thing or two, Weiss," Yang nudged Weiss.

Weiss sighed and put a hand on her face, "I thought we were past all that."

"We are, but I'm still going to mess with you about it" Yang grinned.

Weiss sighed again, "Can someone else please go?"

The short haired girl stood and put her hands on her hips, "My name is Ruby Rose and my goal is to make this the best. Year. Ever!" she exclaimed.

Then something clicked in JoJo's head.

 _"Wait a second. Yang. Ruby Rose. That grave stone on the cliff. Summer Rose."_

 _"_ Hold on, are you the nieces of Qrow Branwen?" Jonathan asked Ruby and Yang.

Ruby cocked her head sideways at the sudden question. "Yeah? You know him?"

"Know him? He brought me here. Uh, long story." JoJo said.

"Hey, if you know Uncle Qrow, you're cool in my book," Ruby smiled kindly.

"Ditto." Yang grinned.

"...Well, you're the only one left, and you're already standing, so...?" Nora said expectedly.

"Oh, right. My name is Jonathan Joestar, but my friends call me JoJo. And my fact is that I, uh, have no weapon for this combat school," Jonathan scratched his head nervously.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Wait, if you don't have a weapon, then what do you have to fight Grimm?" Nora asked.  
JoJo glanced around to make sure no one else was watching. These guys seemed alright by Jonathan, so why not?

 **"Kooooooh!"** Jonathan breathed, allowing Hamon to appear around his body as if it was himself glowing with energy.

All of them stared in awe at the yellow energy surrounding JoJo's body.  
"Your semblance...?" Weiss asked finally.

"No, an ancient martial art that-" Jonathan went on to explain what Hamon was and how it worked.

After he was done, the group was silent. After nearly two minutes,

Yang spoke up, "So what you're saying is, you punch people with the power of the sun?"

"...That's actually very accurate." Jonathan admitted.

"And all that, through a special breathing technique?" Blake asked.

"Pretty much."

"Is it teachable?" Yang asked, an eager look in her eyes.

"Perhaps, though it's extremely rare for someone to be able to learn it, from what I understand." JoJo answered.

Yang grinned with a determined look on her face.

"Was that 'game' really necessary for us to play, though?" Weiss sighed.

"Well we had to introduce ourselves, and they had to introduce themselves, so this was the best way to do it, silly!" Ruby smiled with a triumphant look on her face.  
JoJo blinked at the girl's childlike demeanor.

 _"She can't be like that all the time, right?"_ Jonathan asked to himself.

"We couldn't just like, hang out or something?" Neptune asked.

"Nope!" Ruby's smile never faltered.

"Is she always like that?" Jonathan leaned over and whispered to Weiss.

"All. The. Time." Weiss groaned.

"So...what now?" Jaune asked.  
That's when the bell rang.

Ruby groaned, "Guess it's time to go back to class."

"Where would I go?" Jonathan asked.

"Hey, us too!" Sun said.

"Well if you weren't told where to go or what to do, then I guess you three could come with us to classes for today, " Weiss said as she glanced at Neptune, her cheeks tinted red.

"Sounds like a plan!" Nora exclaimed, jumping onto the table once again.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Sun said to Neptune and JoJo.


	4. Chapter 4: Classes

In the industrial region the City of Vale, a teenage girl with green hair, dark skin, and red eyes and a boy with grey hair, eyes, and clothing were walking into a large warehouse filled with White Fang members.

The White Fang were all loading and unloading crates filled with Dust into the warehouse.  
The boy and girl approached an older man dressed in a white dress coat, simple black slacks, and a black and red bowler hat. He held a cane by his side with a lit cigar between his fingers, and his red hair covered most of one side of his face.

"Look, she sent the kids again!" he mock exclaimed, then wrapped an arm around each of the teenagers. "This is turning out just like the divorce."

"Ugh, spare us the thought of you procreating," the girl said as she untangled herself from the man's grip.

" _That_ was a joke," the man said, then held up a slip of paper as he walked towards a table with a briefcase on it.

"And _this,_ just might tell me where you've been all day," he said as he turned to face them.

"What?" the green haired girl said as she checked her pockets. The man apparently snuck it off her person.

"I'm a professional, sweetheart. Pay attention, maybe you might learn something," he said smugly, then inspected the paper.

"Why do you have this address?" he demanded.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" the girl replied, stepping closer to the bowler hat wearing man.

"Uh yeah, I would. Now, where have you been all day?" he asked.

"Cleaning up _your_ problems. One of them, at least." the grey-haired boy stated.

"I had that _under control,"_ the man replied, almost through gritted teeth.

"Two packed bags and a ticket out of Vale say otherwise," the boy replied.

" _Listen,_ you little punk, if it were up to me I'd take you and your little street rat friend here and-" the man threatened.

"Do _what,_ Roman?" a new voice said from behind the two teenagers.

Atop a raised platform, stood a woman with long black hair swept over one shoulder wearing a red dress with yellow designs on the sleeves.

As the lift she stepped on lowered to their level, the man now known as Roman chuckled nervously.  
"I'd uh...not kill them?" he said, trying to save himself.

"Cinder!" the green haired girl exclaimed happily.

As she walked towards Cinder, trying to go in for a hug, Cinder simply ignored her and went straight to Roman.

"Haven't I made it _clear_ that you would eliminate the would be runway?" Cinder asked as she approached Roman.

"I was _going_ to..." Roman replied nervously.

" _He_ was going to escape to Vacuo. Mercury and _I_ decided to take it upon ourselves to kill the rat," the green haired girl interjected.

"I think he was some sort of cat, actually," Mercury noted.

"What, like a puma?" the girl joked.

"Yeah, there you go," Mercury smirked.

"Quiet," Cinder ordered, "Did I not _specifically_ ask you two to keep your hands clean while we were in Vale?"

"I...just thought-" the girl placed a hand on her own head.

"Don't think. _Obey."_ Cinder told them, all the while Roman was making faces and "slitting" his own throat with his index finger.

"...Yes ma'am, it won't happen again." the girl replied.

"And _you,"_ Cinder turned to Roman, who laughed nervously.

"Why wasn't this job done sooner?" she asked him.

"Uh...eh?" Roman said as he gestured to the crates to his right.

"Eh?" he did the same to the crates at his left.

"EH?!" he gestured with open arms comically.

"Sorry if I've been a little busy stealing every speck of Dust in the kingdom," he told the trio.

"You're an inspiration to every punk with a gun and a ski mask," Mercury deadpanned.

"Look around kid, I've got this town running scared. Police camping out at every corner, Dust prices through the roof, _and_ we're sitting pretty in an old warehouse with more Dust crystals, vials, and rounds than we know what to do with. Speaking of which. If you guys wouldn't mind filling me in on your grand-master plan, it might actually make my next string of robberies go a little smoother." Roman stated.

"Oh, Roman. Have a little faith," Cinder said as she approached Roman and put a hand on his cheek, "You'll know what you need to know, when you need to know it."

"Egh." Roman cast his eyes to the side.

"Besides, we're done with Dust." Cinder told him, then walked back to Mercury and the girl, Emerald.

"Oookay. Then what now?" Roman asked.

Cinder turned to look at the cane wielding thief, "We're moving. Have the White Fang clear out the building. I'll send you details and coordinates tonight."

"Coordinates?" Roman asked as Cinder walked towards the entrance of the warehouse.

"We're proceeding to phase two," Cinder replied, "And while you're at it, if you find a student at Beacon who is from _**another world**_ , kill him. _That_ order came straight from Salem."

" _Kid from another world? What kind of sense does that make?"_ Roman Torchwick thought to himself as he lit another cigar.

[Line Break]

"Ironwood certainly loves bringing his work with him wherever he travels," Glynda Goodwitch stated as she and Professor Ozpin gazed out at the Atlas airships that now flew in the skies of Beacon and Vale.

"Well... Running an academy and a military makes him a busy man. But yes, those are a bit of an eyesore." the headmaster said, then turned to the beeping screen coming from his desk. It was alerting him that someone was currently waiting in the elevator.

"Come in," Ozpin announced.

General James Ironwood stepped into the large office, walking towards the two professors.  
"Ozpin." Ironwood greeted kindly.

"Hello, general." Ozpin greeted formally.

"Please, drop the formalities." He replied as he and Ozpin approached each other.

"It's been too long!" James laughed as he shook Professor Ozpin's hand.

"And Glynda!" James smiled kindly at the woman, "It has _certainly_ been too long since we last met."

"Oh James..." Glynda waved sarcastically, "I'll be outside."

"Well she hasn't changed a bit," Ironwood stated.

"So... What in the world has brought you all the way down from Atlas? Headmasters don't typically travel with their students for the Vytal Festival," Professor Ozpin asked as he went to his desk and began to fill a mug with coffee, then handed it to James.

"Well, you know how much I love Vale this time of year. Besides, with you hosting... I thought this might be a good opportunity for us to catch up," Ironwood answered as he poured some liquid from a flask into the coffee.

"I can certainly appreciate quality time between friends. However... The small fleet outside my window has me somewhat concerned." Ozpin replied as he sat at his desk and poured himself a mug of coffee.

"Well, my concern _is_ what brought them here." James said.

"I understand travel between kingdoms has become increasingly difficult-"

"Oz, you and I both know _why_ I brought those men," James interjected.

Ozpin took a sip of his coffee, then sighed. "We are in a time of peace. Shows of power like this... Are just going to give off the wrong impression."

"But if what Qrow said is true-" James replied.

"If what Qrow said is true, then we will handle it tactfully. It's the Vytal Festival; a time to celebrate unity and peace. So, I suggest you not scare people by transporting hundreds of soldiers halfway across the continent." Ozpin interrupted.

"I'm just being cautious."

"As am I, which is why we will continue to train the best Huntsmen and Huntresses we can." Professor Ozpin replied.

"Believe me, I am." Ironwood assured, then turned to walk towards the exit of Ozpin's office, but stopped halfway.

"But ask yourself this: do you honestly believe your children can win a war?" he asked, then continued to the door.

"I hope they never have to," Ozpin said, mostly to himself.

[Line Break]

In the Beacon library, team RWBY was currently sitting around a square table, holding cards in their hand with a game board sitting on the table with game pieces littered around the board.  
Jonathan and team JNPR were sitting at the table besides them studying.

Weiss and Blake were either not into the game, or simply didn't care. Yang was sitting with a smug look on her face as Ruby carefully examined the cards in her hand.  
Then all of a sudden, Ruby pointed at Yang and told her, "Yang Xiao Long, prepare your kingdom for battle!"

"Bring it on!" Yang replied.

"I deploy, the Atlesian Air Fleet!" Ruby stood and announced.  
Yang gasped as if she were shocked.

"Looks like I get to fly right over your Ursai and attack your walls directly!" Ruby smiled triumphantly, then made airplane bombing noises.

Yang gasped again and pointed at Ruby, "You fiend!"

"And since Atlas is part of Mantle, my repair time only lasts one turn," Ruby grinned at her older sister.

But then, Yang laughed as if she had a trick up her sleeve, "Pretty sneaky sis, BUT YOU'VE JUST ACTIVATED MY TRAP CARD!" Yang faced the card in her hand to Ruby so she could see.

"Whaaaaaaa?!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Giant Nevermore! If I roll a seven or higher, Fatal Feathers will slice your fleet in two." Yang exclaimed as she slammed a fist onto the desk.

"But, if you roll a six or lower, the Nevermore will turn on your own forces," Ruby stated as she pointed at Yang.

"That's just a chance I'm willing to take." Yang said, determined.

"What are they doing?" Jonathan asked Jaune, who was sitting across from him. Ren and Pyrrha were actually studying while Nora was snoozing and Jaune was reading a comic.

"I have, no idea. Playing some sort of board game about the kingdoms, I guess." he answered, but then Pyrrha snatched the comic out of his hand and began reading it herself.

"Fascinating," JoJo said as he glanced over at the four girls, Ruby whining about her lost forces all the while.

While Yang was giving Weiss a quick lesson on how to play, JoJo looked out of the windows in front of him at the distant tree line.

But his eyes quickly snapped back to team RWBY when Weiss began laughing evilly.  
"What the devil?" JoJo asked to no one in particular.

"YES! FEAR THE ALMIGHTY POWER OF MY FORCES! COWER AS THEY PILLAGE YOUR HOMES AND WEEP AS THEY TAKE YOUR CHILDREN FROM YOUR VERY ARMS-!" she announced as she stood.

"Trap card." Yang stated.

"Huh?" Weiss looked at her.

"Your armies have been destroyed." Yang smirked.

Weiss sat down, tears flowing from her eyes, "I hate this game of emotions we play!"  
Ruby quickly jumped into her lap and hugged her neck, tears similarly on her face as well.

"Stay strong, Weiss. We'll make it through this together." Ruby sobbed.

"Shut up, don't touch me!" Weiss cried as she put her arms around Ruby.

"Alright Blake, you're up," Yang told the dark-haired girl to her right.

"Huh?" Blake asked.

Jonathan noticed the bags under her eyes and the way that she seemed completely out of it.  
"Oh! Umm... Sorry, what am I doing?" Blake asked.

"You're playing as Vale, trying to conquer the kingdoms of Remnant!" Yang explained.

"Right..."

"Hey, can I play?" Jaune asked as he approached the four girls.

JoJo didn't even notice that the guy had left the table.  
"Sorry Jaune, we've already got four people." Ruby said.

"Besides, this game requires a certain level of tactical cunning that I seriously doubt you possess," Weiss deadpanned.

"Uh, you attacked your own naval fleet two turns ago." Yang mentioned.

"Hmph!" Weiss groaned.

"Bring it on, Ice Queen! I'll have you know that I've been told I'm a natural born leader," Jaune said proudly.

"By who? Your mother?" Weiss asked.

"And Pyrrha!" Jaune added.

Beside JoJo, Pyrrha waved a hand and said "Hello again!"

"Come on, let me play your hand for a turn," Jaune said, his hands clasped together in a pleading sign.

"I'm not trusting you with the good citizens of Vacuo!" Weiss retorted.

"Why not? You've trusted me with _way_ more important stuff before!" Jaune told her, "I mean you told us all that Blake is secretly a Fau-" he couldn't finish, because Pyrrha had rushed over to him and covered his mouth.

"Fun loving person, whom we all admire and respect!" Pyrrha said quickly.

"A what?" Jonathan asked.

 _"It almost sounded like he was gonna say 'Faunus'."_

Blake glared at the group of people in front of her, Jonathan starting to put two and two together, but had no way of confirming his theory.

"Right... That. Ladies, enjoy your battle," Jaune said as he bowed.

"Sup losers?" Sun asked out of nowhere.

"Sun, Neptune! Hello!" Jonathan grinned at his two new friends.

"What's up, JoJo? Ruby, Yang, Blake, Ice Queen..." Sun greeted.

"Why does everyone keep calling me that!?" Weiss demanded.

"Uh, aren't libraries for reading?" Neptune asked.

"Thank you!" Ren raised his arms with an annoyed tone to his voice.

Meanwhile, Nora woke from her nap and snorted, "Pancakes!"

"Shut up. Don't be a nerd." Sun told his team mate.

"Eh eh eh, intellectual. Okay. Thank you." Neptune corrected.

Sun looked over at Blake, "I never took you as the board game playing type."

"Right, well... I think I'm done playing, actually. I'll see you guys later." Blake replied, then walked away from the table.

Sun looked at the rest and shrugged his shoulders.  
Nora shrugged also and simply said, "Women."

"I'll try to find out what's bothering Miss Belladonna," JoJo told the others as he stood and gave chase to Blake.

"No JoJo wait-!" Ruby tried to stop him, but it was too late, he was already gone.

When Jonathan caught up with her, he tried to put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.  
"Blake, whatever is the mat-" he started.

"Nothing Jonathan, I'm fine," she shook off his hand as they exited the library and went into a hall.

"It doesn't appear that way. If the bags under your eyes are any sign, you haven't been getting much sleep, have you?" he pressed on.

"Don't worry about it, go back to RWBY and JNPR."

"Blake, I've only been at this school for a day, but I already consider all of you my friends. And I can see, as plain as daylight, that you all have been through something bad. Come back with me to your team, I'm sure you can talk this ou-"

"You don't know _anything_ about what I've been through!"

Jonathan stopped, "You're right, I don't. But that doesn't mean that your friends, your _team_ , can't help you. I don't know what all you, or the rest of RWBY, or JNPR for that matter, have been through. Perhaps if you informed me of it, I could possibly help as well."

Blake turned to look at the giant Englishman.  
"Fine. We'll get you up to speed on what's been happening. Later, though. Now isn't the time or place to do this," Blake sighed.

Jonathan let out a sigh of relief, "That's all I ask for. But let's get back to your team, shall we?"

As soon as Blake and Jonathan returned, both teams RWBY and JNPR, along with Neptune and Sun, had shocked expressions on her face. He had actually convinced her to come back.  
"...So... What made you come back?" Sun asked finally.

"Tell you about it later," she replied.

"Tell Sun about it later or...?" Ruby asked as she twiddled her thumbs.

"Tell you _all_ about it later," Blake corrected.

Jonathan nodded at Blake, then took his former seat across from Jaune.  
Then Professor Ozpin approached the eleven students from seemingly out of nowhere.

"Mr. Joestar, would you please come with me?" he asked kindly.

"Yes, professor," Jonathan replied as he stood.

Everyone else had a curious look on their faces, wondering just what the headmaster wanted with JoJo.  
"See you guys later!" JoJo waved with a smile.

As he and Ozpin were walking away together, Ruby stood and waved, "Goodbye, JoJo!"  
This particular phrase brought back a wave of bad memories in the young Joestar's head, causing him to stop immediately.

Professor Ozpin raised an eyebrow at the young man, noticing the distant and hurt expression on his face.  
"Is something the matter?" Ozpin asked.

"Nothing Professor, just...a bad memory. What did you want me for, if you don't mind my asking?" JoJo answered.

"It dawned on me that I never gave you a room to stay in, my apologies." he replied.

"That's okay professor, team JNPR allowed me to stay in their dorm last night."

"You like team JNPR?" he asked, and JoJo nodded in response.

"Along with team RWBY, they're all great people to be around." Jonathan said with a smile.  
Ozpin nodded as they walked,

"I was hoping you'd get along with them all."

"Why's that, Professor?" JoJo asked.

"Well you see, there are no available teams to put you on, for the time being. So as a solution to that, you're instead going to act as a fifth member for _both_ team RWBY and team JNPR," Ozpin stated.

"Not that I think that's a bad idea, but wouldn't that cause...unrest for all the other teams?" Jonathan asked.

"I wouldn't think so, unless some other team has some farfetched issue with it." Ozpin replied.

"I know I don't have issue with it, though I can see it being difficult to go between both teams on the fly."

"Nonsense, it should be quite easy, actually. But since both of their dorms are already full, you'll be given your own dorm to stay in, for now. And on to more...urgent matters, we've brought in a military general who could possibly help you find a way home." Ozpin informed.

"That's great news!" Jonathan smiled.

"Indeed. Though, we still have no idea how quickly we'll be able to accomplish this task. I hate to say it... But you just might be here for a while."

JoJo's smile faltered.  
"How... How long would you think it'd take, if you had to guess?"

"...It could be weeks, months, or even years. I simply don't know. All we can do for now is wait and see. In the meantime, learn about Remnant. Train as a huntsmen, and help your fellow students with their training. That will give you something to focus on while you wait." Ozpin put a hand on his beefy shoulder.

"I... Understand, professor. If all I can do is wait, then I'll wait. And make the best of what time I have in this world." Jonathan tried for a smile.

"I don't doubt that you'll fit in well here, Jonathan. Now, allow me to show you to your dorm." Ozpin offered.

[Line Break]

By time Jonathan had settled into his new dorm, it was already night time. His dorm was just like all the others, with four beds and a desk in front of a window.  
Since he was the only one living in the room, JoJo had the creative idea to push all of the beds together to make one giant bed. Professor Ozpin had also gifted Jonathan a brand-new scroll (which he had no idea how to work), some Beacon uniforms, and enough Lien to pay for any extra items he might need. Jonathan was extremely grateful to Ozpin for the hospitality, and even tried to turn down the money, but the headmaster had insisted that he would need it.  
Now, the young Joestar lay in his giant bed, looking at the ceiling above him.  
He had a few classes with both teams RWBY and JNPR, and he was actually pretty excited. Though Yang did warn him about a certain professor by the name of "Port."  
Jonathan glanced over at the device that Ozpin told him was a "digital alarm clock," and read that the time was 10:46 p.m..

...

"Forget this, I can't sleep at all!" Jonathan sighed.

He stood up and began putting on the custom pajamas that he purchased. The pajama pants were blue with "JoJo" written all over them in bold purple and yellow writing. Stars also decorated them, in varying sizes.

Along with the pants, he wore a simple black T-shirt with a large red star on the front.  
As soon as he exited his new dorm, he came face to face with a trio of people wearing black and white outfits that appeared to be school uniforms.

"Oh! Pardon me," JoJo apologized kindly.

"It's fine. Just watch where you're going." a girl with dark skin, green hair, and red eyes told him.

" _What sort of odd genetic makeup does she have to get that color of hair and eyes?"_ JoJo thought to himself.

As Jonathan inspected their uniforms, a thought came to mind.  
"Are you from a different school or something like that?" JoJo asked, a kind expression on his face.

"Visitors from Haven, actually," another girl said as she stepped forward. The boy with grey hair and eyes beside her rolled his eyes at the tall JoJo.

At the sight of the girl with long dark hair in the middle, his heart skipped a beat.

" _Wow! Who knew someone could look so perfect?"_ JoJo asked himself rhetorically. " _Maybe now is time to put on that special Joestar charm?"_ Jonathan giddily told himself.

"Good evening miss. And you are...?" JoJo asked as he did his usual bow.

"...Cinder." The girl responded, an interested twinkle in her eye.

" 'Cinder', what a beautiful name," JoJo smiled, slightly nervously. After all, the only girl he'd ever tried to woo before was Erina.

"Riiight, Cinder can we go now?" the other girl asked.

"One moment," Cinder replied, "I think we're a little lost, we're looking for the exchange student dormitories." she told JoJo as she showed him the map on her scroll.

As JoJo took a closer look at it, his eyes widened.  
"Well there's your problem right there! You took a left and went into this dorm instead of taking a right into _that_ dorm!" JoJo explained as he pointed at the brightly lit screen.

The two girls looked at the boy irritably, who in turn scratched the back of his head and chuckled nervously.

"My bad," he said after a moment.

Cinder sighed at the boy's incompetence.

"Thanks, uh..." the green haired girl said as she noticed Jonathan's pajamas, "...JoJo?"

Jonathan narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "How'd you know my nickname?"

They looked at him as if they were saying, "Is this guy serious?"

"It's...on your pajamas," Cinder said, taking in the image of his muscular legs.  
After a moment, Jonathan looked at them with embarrassment on his face.

"So it would seem! Ha ha...my apologies," he scratched the back of his head.

"That's alright," Cinder said with an amused smile on her face.

The other girl and boy began walking past Jonathan, and Cinder soon followed suit.  
"Well, bye! I hope we can talk again soon!" Jonathan said as he waved.

Then Cinder turned to look at the muscular Englishman.  
"I wouldn't be against it," she winked at him, then continued on her way.

Jonathan grinned to himself, _"Well, I'd say that was a success."_

Cinder Fall continue walking away from the young man, unaware that he was who she was sent to eliminate.

[Line Break]

"Yang wasn't lying when she said to watch out for this guy's class," Jonathan yawned as he propped his chin up on his hand.

He and team JNPR were sitting through one of Professor Port's boring hunting stories. At first, Jonathan was fascinated by the older gentleman's stories of him slaying Grimm while he was in his prime.

"It's like this every class. _Every. Class."_ Jaune groaned as he lay his forehead on the desk.

"We rarely even learn anything, much to Pyrrha's distaste." Ren stated.

Jonathan wanted to do what Jaune was doing and lay his head onto the desk, but he was raised to be a gentleman. And a gentleman wouldn't behave so rudely. So he sucked it up and listened to the story.

After another ten minutes, JoJo couldn't help it. His eyes were about to drift closed, but then the older professor announced,  
"NOW, who would like to demonstrate their ability to slay the creatures of Grimm?"  
The professor scanned his students until his eyes focused on a particular boy with dark blue hair.

"Perhaps the new student? I'm sure he is more than capable of showing us what he's made of!" Port announced.

Pyrrha elbowed JoJo awake.  
"Huh?" he asked.

"He wants you to fight a Grimm," Jaune whispered.

"Me? Why?" he asked.

"Any day now, student." Port said loudly.

Jonathan then made his way down to the floor that Port stood on.  
"Aren't you going to get your weapon?" he asked.

"Oh right, uh... I kind of don't have one." Jonathan replied as he removed his uniform jacket, tossing it up to Jaune.

"That's preposterous! All students have a weapon!" Port retorted.

"I'll be fine without one, trust me, Professor." JoJo replied as he approached Port, all eyes in the room on him.

"...Very well." Port said, then gestured to a large cage with a pair of red glowing eyes piercing the darkness.

"Face your opponent!" Port laughed, and Jonathan got into a boxing stance.  
The professor destroyed the lock holding the cage shut with his blunderbuss-axe.  
A larger than average Beowolf jumped out of the cage. But something was off. It was a _lot_ bigger than a normal Beowolf, with much more bone armor covering its body as well.

"An Alpha Beowolf!?" a student exclaimed.

" _That doesn't sound too good..."_ Jonathan thought to himself.

The Beowolf launched itself towards JoJo, who preemptively dodged it's long claws.  
Before it could attack again, JoJo delivered his hardest boxing punch to the monster's rib cage, making the Grimm stagger slightly.  
It recovered fast, though. The Beowolf then slammed Jonathan with the back of its arm, sending JoJo flying several feet back, making his fellow students gasp.

" _Alright..."_

 _"_ You got this, JoJo! Bring the PAIN!" Nora cheered.

As soon as JoJo stood, the large Beowolf was already upon him.  
Jonathan quickly uppercut the monster, sending it a few feet backwards.

"YEAH that's the way! Now break its legs!" Nora cheered again, making people look up at the hyperactive girl.

"Miss Valkyrie, please be silent! You're distracting your teammate!" Port warned her.  
"Oops. Sorry, JoJo!" Nora apologized.

The Beowolf sliced at JoJo, forcing him to dodge. He delivered a kick to the monster's side, making it howl in pain.  
Some students began to cheer for Jonathan.  
JoJo smirked, but it faltered when the Grimm turned its attention to the students.  
A student on the front row gasped in horror as the large Beowolf charged at him.  
The student tried to shield himself with his arms and shut his eyes tight. But after a moment, he slowly opened them to see the Beowolf mere inches from his face.

"Oh no you don't!" Jonathan said through gritted teeth, then pulled the monster back, throwing it away from the crowd.

"You're not going to harm any innocent bystanders," Jonathan announced as he took on a different fighting stance.

"Is he posing?" Nora asked her team.

"It looks like it," Ren answered.

"I think it's cool," Jaune noted, and Pyrrha nodded.

Back on the stage, the Beowolf growled as it faced Jonathan, its hind legs tensing as it prepared to pounce.

"Try it. It won't end well, I assure you." Jonathan told it.

The Beowolf roared as it pounced towards Jonathan, its claws extended and ready to slice.

 **"Kooooooooh!"**

A yellow aura enveloped Jonathan as the creature neared him.  
As soon as it was within striking range, Jonathan yelled, "Overdrive!" as he delivered a deadly blow to the Beowolf's chin in a massive uppercut.

The Alpha Beowolf roared in pain as it was sent upwards, slowly disintegrating the whole way. In the back of Jonathan's mind, he remembered one of William Zeppelli's compliments from his more recent days of training, _"That was a wonderful sound, JoJo!"_ His mentor's voice rung in his head.  
Jonathan turned to the crowd of students who watched the fight. Every single one of their mouths hung open, even Professor Port's.

Then all at once, the students began cheering. Port laughed loudly at the spectacle.

"Well! I guess you weren't lying when you said you didn't need a weapon!" Port laughed.

Jonathan didn't know what to do, so he just stood there in awe of the cheering students in front of him.  
But somewhere in the crowd of cheering, three students in Haven Academy uniforms watched the young Joestar.

"Looks like he does have a trick up his sleeve," Mercury noted.

"But what _is_ that, though? It has to be his semblance." Emerald wondered.

"Cinder, what do you think? Cinder?" Mercury asked as he looked to their leader.  
Her cheeks were tinted red.

Under any other circumstance, Mercury and Emerald would have teased someone for behaving this way, but they knew they'd be signing their own death warrants if they tried that with Cinder.

"What's with her lately?" Mercury asked, "He's not _that_ good looking."

"I dunno Mercury, look at that bod of his." Emerald said as she watched JoJo walk up the steps to get back to his team, random students patting him on the back the whole way.

" _Still._ We have a mission to do, Cinder can't get distracted by some boy in the middle of it. Especially since he'll probably die once our goal is complete." Mercury retorted.

"Just let Cinder do her thing. If she starts to stray too far, we'll get her right again." Emerald told him.

"Yeah, yeah." Mercury.

"You kicked butt, JoJo!" Jaune complimented as Jonathan took his seat.

"I agree, you handled that Beowolf with great skill and calmness." Ren said.

"I don't think even I could've done better," Pyrrha smiled.

"I still think you should've broken its legs." Nora stated with her head on the table.

"My apologies. I just can't stand to see innocent people be harmed for no reason, so I protect them if I can." JoJo explained.

"Oh, you're just being modest! Seriously though, you got skill." Jaune grinned.

"So _that_ was that Hamon thing you talked about," Pyrrha realized, and Jonathan nodded.

"Well it certainly looked cool being used against that Grimm," Jaune stated.

"An Alpha Beowolf! By yourself, with no weapon!" Pyrrha exclaimed.

A girl on the row in front of them turned to face JoJo. She had dark sunglasses and a black beret on.  
"So you're the new guy?" she asked, an eyebrow raised.

"That I am, Jonathan Joestar, pleased to meet you," JoJo greeted.

The girl raised both of her eyebrows, "A gentlemen, huh?"

"He definitely is, Coco." Nora giggled.

"Your name's Coco?" Jonathan asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Coco Adel, that's my name, don't wear it out." she grinned.

"An interesting name, that's for sure." JoJo chuckled.

"Problem with it?" Coco asked with a stern expression on her face.

"Not at all, in fact I like it," JoJo smiled politely.

Coco then looked at the rest of team JNPR.

"You guys trained this one well," Coco laughed.

"Nuh-uh, that's all natural," Nora grinned.

The bell gave a few short rings, interrupting another story that Port had begun to give.  
"Apologies, I seem to have lost track of time in all the excitement. That was an excellent performance by our new student, but remember! Stay vigilant!"

Coco looked back at Jonathan, "Maybe I'll see you around, JoJo." she said as she lowered her sunglasses and winked, causing a slight red tint to appear on JoJo's face.

As JoJo and JNPR were walking to their next class, which happened to be with team RWBY, Nora leaned over to Jonathan and whispered, "I think Coco like-likes you~"

"Nora, leave him alone, there's no telling what Coco meant by that. She flirts with everyone." Pyrrha told the hyper girl.

"Oh, fine. But still, it's possible." Nora grinned.

Teams RWBY and JNPR entered the classroom of Glynda Goodwitch.  
As soon as everyone in the class sat down, all the lights shut off except for the ones lighting the stage in the center.

"Usually we'd have another lesson on Aura manipulation or proper ways to use your semblances, but as of today we're going to begin sparring again." Glynda announced.

Students began to murmur to each other about what their professor had just told them.  
"I know, I know. We had to cancel sparring due to that incident with those other students, but Professor Ozpin himself reinstated this activity in order for students to...test their mettle."

Glynda looked in JoJo's direction as she said those last words.  
"So, any volunteers to spar first?" Goodwitch asked as she turned her attention back to the other students.

The class remained silent.

"No? Well then, I'll have to choose at random," she said, then typed on her scroll a few times.  
A large screen on the wall behind Glynda lit up, displaying two empty squares side by side. The squares began to spin vertically, the faces of students appearing on the sides of the squares as they spun.

Then the square on the left stopped spinning, and the student that it showed was-  
"Me?" Nora exclaimed.

"Miss Valkyrie, please go to the locker room to prepare yourself." Glynda advised.

As soon as Nora stood, the second square stopped spinning.  
Every head turned to look at team JNPR.

"...I've got a _bad_ feeling about this." Jonathan mumbled.


	5. Chapter 5: Criminal Activities

Jonathan and Nora were now facing each other in front of the entire class.

" _Why do they insist on me fighting so much?"_ JoJo thought to himself as he took a fighting stance. _"I just got done fighting!"_

The orange haired girl in front of him grinned wickedly as she hefted her hammer.  
" _It'd be very unhealthy for me if that thing manages to hit me. It'd help if Nora knew that I had no aura."_ Jonathan mentally groaned.

All eyes in the room were trained on them, waiting for Glynda to start the match.

" _Alright,"_ Glynda thought to herself, " _Let's see what you can do, shall we?"_

A loud buzzer sounded as the images of JoJo and Nora simultaneously showed an aura meter for both of them. Though Jonathan's had to be fake, because he _has_ no aura.

JoJo quickly glanced at both team RWBY and JNPR. Their eyes were filled with eagerness and excitement to see how this would turn out.

Nora rushed towards Jonathan, jumping into the air as she raised her hammer above her head in an attempt to slam him.

Jonathan quickly dodged backwards, the hammer causing a small crater in the floor where it hit.

JoJo jumped forward in an attempt to deliver a blow to Nora's chest, but Nora blocked it with her hammer and grinned.

"Tooooooo slow~" she said in a sing song voice, then slammed the hilt of her weapon into JoJo's chest.

Jonathan was launched backwards as he clutched his chest. He skidded across the floor for a moment, then quickly regained his footing, and got into a defensive stance.

 **"Koooooooh!"** Jonathan took a deep and focused breath as Hamon began to glow around him.  
Nora grinned once again, then launched herself towards JoJo by firing the grenade launcher with the press of a button.

"Wooooohooooo!" Nora laughed as she sped towards Jonathan.

JoJo raised his fist, and waited.

" _Ha! This is too easy."_ Nora smiled as she got closer and closer to Jonathan.

As soon as Nora was within distance, he dropped to the floor to avoid her hammer, then raised his foot quickly to deliver a powerful kick to her midsection.

" _What?! It was a trick!"_ Nora screamed inside her head as she was sent upwards.

JoJo gazed up at the Valkyrie in flight as she began to fall back to the ground.  
Jonathan resumed his Hamon breathing as she fell closer to the ground.

But Nora wasn't going to get taken out so easily. She smiled with a determined look in her eyes as she began to spin forwards rapidly, exactly like she did to the Deathstalker during initiation.  
Jonathan's eyes widened at the girl's planned attack.

JoJo jumped out of the way at the last second, much like a matador in a bull fight.  
Nora's hammer narrowly missed JoJo's shoulder by mere inches.  
The hammer crashed into the ground with a deafening boom, making the students in the audience raise their arms in an attempt to shield themselves from the shattered pieces of tile that exploded outwards.  
It didn't faze Jonathan, however. He jumped towards Nora and kicked her in the side, knocking her down.

 **"Kooooooh! Sunlight Yellow Overdrive!"** Jonathan yelled out, delivering a rapid barrage of punches as soon as Nora got back to her feet.

In the middle of his attack, had the sudden urge to yell out a war cry. So, as soon as he delivered the final punch, he yelled, " **ORA!"**

Nora was sent flying into the wall directly behind her, JoJo stood panting as he recovered from what had cost a lot of stamina.  
Jonathan looked at the large screen on the wall to see that his meter was at 55%, while Nora's was at 30%.  
Just as JoJo looked back at her, Nora was already on her feet again, a huge grin on her face.  
She quickly flexed her arms as she brought up her large hammer.

 _"How did she recover from that so fast? Not even that guy Tyrian could take my Sunlight Yellow Overdrive!"_ Jonathan gaped at the Valkryie.

JoJo realized something. He'd been holding back. Fighting the Grimm and Tyrian were different, because they threatened his life and the lives of others. But this girl was his friend. He didn't _want_ to harm her.  
But Nora didn't know that. She just thought she tanked the punches, because that's what she does. The Hamon seemed to get her pumped up, as well. She was able to wield her hammer more easily, and she felt like she could run a mile.  
Nora tensed her legs as she bent them slightly, then jumped towards JoJo faster than he could realize what was happening.

Jonathan only had time to think " _Oh shi-"_ before Nora slammed him in the chest with her hammer.

Knowing that this could be a fatal blow, at the last second, Jonathan placed his Hamon-filled palms in front of him in an attempt to soften the impact. While doing this, he also sent as much Hamon as he could into the hammer as soon as it made contact.  
Jonathan was sent flying in one direction, Nora was sent flying in the other. They both slid across the floor until they each collided against a wall, eliciting a shocked gasp from the spectating students.  
As one, the students in the crowd shifted their eyes from the fight, and looked at the screen.  
Both Nora's and Jonathan's aura meters were at fifteen, the lowest you could get until the match was called.  
Glynda Goodwitch stepped onto the central stage once again, glancing between Nora and Jonathan.

"Because this match was going by the same rules of the Vytal Festival Tournament, this fight is a...draw." she announced.

Jonathan winced in pain as he stood, clutching his chest.

" _Good thing I used Hamon to protect myself, or I very well may not be standing here!"_ Jonathan thought to himself, then he couldn't help but glare at Goodwitch.  
 _"She knew I didn't have an aura, but made me fight anyway. It wouldn't have been Nora's fault, because she doesn't know, but I could've gotten seriously injured!"_ Jonathan thought to himself.

Nora groaned as she got to her feet, her hammer laying on the floor in front of her.  
"That...was... AWESOME!" Nora jumped into the air happily.

"We HAVE to do that again sometime, JoJo. ...Jonathan are you okay?" she asked, stopping her excitement when she saw that JoJo seemed hurt.

"Oh yes, I'm fine. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go sit down," JoJo smiled forcefully as he held his bruised chest.

As soon as he turned to the crowd, they began cheering for both Nora and Jonathan.  
"THAT WAS AMAZING!" Ruby cheered happily.

"Not too bad, actually." Weiss couldn't help but give a small smile.

Blake seemed completely out of it, her eyes unfocused and the bags under her eyes worse than before.

"I CALL FIGHTING HIM NEXT!" Yang yelled.

"Ha... Ha. That's not going to happen any time soon," Jonathan groaned as he sat down by team RWBY.

"Wait, are you injured?" Weiss asked.

"No no, I'm fine, seriously. I just need a few hours," Jonathan winced, knowing his Hamon should help him heal faster than normal.

Nora, and the rest of JNPR, appeared beside them.

"Jonathan that was incredible! It's not every day that Nora is against the ropes like that," Jaune complimented.

"It was certainly impressive, I'm surprised you lasted so long!" Pyrrha said, then her eyes widened as she realized what she said.

"Sorry! I didn't mean that in a bad way," she apologized.

"That's quite alright, I'm surprised myself," Jonathan gave a smile.

"It seemed to take a toll on each of you, that's for sure," Ren noted politely.

"Certainly," JoJo held his chest.

" _He actually gave Nora a run for her money. Maybe there's more to this 'offworlder' than I thought,"_ Glynda thought to herself.

"Alright, anyone else?" Professor Goodwitch asked the crowd.

[Line Break]

"I can't believe Yang actually beat Weiss that easily!" Ruby exclaimed as they all walked down the hall towards the cafeteria.

"She caught me by surprised." the heiress folded her arms across her chest.

"She really didn't, Weiss." Blake stated.

"Hmph!" Weiss responded, closing her eyes and turning her head away.

JoJo couldn't help but chuckle. The fight was impressive! Yang and Weiss certainly lasted longer than he and Nora, surprising Jonathan that it had gone on for so long.

"You're just mad cause all your 'years of training' didn't mean squat once I got a hold of you," Yang grinned widely.

"Oh, put a sock in it, you brute." Weiss retorted.

"Hey JoJo, why don't you have a weapon? I mean I get the whole Hamon thing, but do you know much smoother your fight could've gone if you had your own weapon to use?" Pyrrha asked.

"I did have one, a sword, but I...lost it." JoJo lied.

"Maybe you could get another one?" Jaune asked.

"How could you lose your weapon? They're an extension of ourselves, a huntsmen's most important tool!" Ruby exclaimed.

Jonathan turned to Ruby and raised an eyebrow.

"Don't mind her, she's a weapon nerd." Yang told him.

Jonathan only gave a small shrug, then answered "Ruby, I didn't _mean_ to. It just happened." JoJo explained meekly.

"I... Guess I could understand that. I just don't know what I'd do without my Crescent Rose!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Not much," Yang mumbled to JoJo.

"WHAT WAS THAT!?" Ruby nearly yelled childishly.

"Ruby, let's face it, you're not much of a threat without your weapon." Weiss told her.

"W-Weiss? You too?" Ruby pouted.

"I agree. Your hand to hand skills aren't exactly exemplary." Ren pointed out.

"Maybe your sister could help you out." Pyrrha smiled kindly.

Ruby dropped to her knees at the assault she was having to endure. They were right, but that didn't make it hurt any less.  
"You really need to work on that Rubes, one day you're gonna be on a mission and not have your weapon, and you're gonna be in a real bad way." Yang bent down to look her in the eye.

"...Fine." Ruby mumbled.

"That's the spirit" Nora chimed.

They'd finally made it to the cafeteria, with Ruby in tow whining about how she wasn't useless without her weapon and that she would be fine without it.

"Ruby I'm beginning to agree with your team mates if you're making this much of a fuss over it." Jonathan joked.

"NOT YOU TOO," she whined.

"Ruby if you don't calm down then you're not getting any cookies." Weiss told her.

"You're not the boss of me!" Ruby rebutted.

"I get that she's childish, but is she always _this_ childish?" Jonathan whispered to Yang.

"All the time. You just gotta get used to it." she chuckled.

"No. Cookies." Weiss repeated, making Ruby squeal in peril.

Blake sighed, "Let's just get our food already."

JoJo, once again, whispered to Yang.  
"What's wrong with Blake now?"

"Long story," Yang replied.

"Yeah I know, she said she was going to tell us about it." he said.

Yang turned to him with an awkward smile on her face.

"Yeahhh... About that... You kinda missed it." She laughed nervously.

"You what?" Jonathan said.

"We'll tell you once we sit down." Yang assured him.

" _Yeah you better, it'd be nice to be in the loop for once,"_ Jonathan thought to himself.

[Line Break]

"That's... I don't know what to say about that. You attacked the White Fang at the docks, who were led by a human named Roman Torchwick, and now Blake here is trying to take it upon herself to put an end to it. Oh and you're all going out tonight to find information about this Torchwick fellow. Am I getting all that right?" Jonathan asked as team RWBY watched him.

JNPR were at a separate table, unable to hear them over the noise of the cafeteria.  
"That's pretty much it, yeah..." Ruby said kind of quietly.

"Do you think it's the best idea for five students to try to take down a criminal organization?" Jonathan sighed.

"In hindsight it wasn't the best choi- wait, five?" Weiss said.

JoJo crossed his arms and looked at the four girls, "Well _obviously_ I can't just let you do this by yourself. What kind of gentleman would I be if I let four young girls fight by themselves?"

"JoJo you don't understand, we don't want any friends getting involved because they might get hurt." Blake told him.

"Well except for Sun and Neptune..." Ruby mentioned.

Jonathan raised his eyebrows as if he were saying "Really?"

Blake sighed and glared at Ruby, who sunk into her seat when Blake's eyes bored into her.  
"Fine, you can help." Blake conceded.

"This should be easy-peasy with Jonathan's help!" Yang pumped a fist.

JoJo blinked at the blond, "What do you mean?"

"Well just cause you're so gentlemanly and stuff. You can be good cop and I'll be bad cop!" Yang grinned.

He blinked again, "Good and bad who?"

He'd never heard that phrase before.  
They all looked at Jonathan oddly.  
"How have you not heard of that?" Ruby asked.

JoJo shrugged, "I just never have, I guess. What does it mean?" he asked.

"Well, the good cop is the nice one in an interrogation. They butter up the person being interrogated, then the bad cop swoops in and asks the hard question, not taking no for an answer." Yang explained, then slammed her fist into her open palm.

"I think I understand." Jonathan blinked.

"Whatever, you'll get the hang of it later." Yang grinned.

"What is the plan, though? There has to be one." JoJo asked.

"Well of course there's one! We're not idiots." Weiss said, then looked over to see Ruby trying to put a pencil through a cookie without breaking it.

"Well, not _all_ of us." Weiss snickered.

"Hey!" Ruby exclaimed.

"We're breaking up into teams. Ruby and Weiss are going to get information from Weiss' company, Blake and Sun are going to some White Fang recruitment rally, and you, Neptune, and I are going to pay someone a little visit. He's pretty big in the criminal underground, and I can be... Very persuasive." Yang explained with a wink when she finished.

"I don't doubt that." Jonathan smiled at the blond.

"So, when do we head out?" JoJo asked.

"Tonight. Just meet us in our dorm, then we'll go from there." Blake answered, and Jonathan nodded in understanding.

[Line Break]

In team RWBY's dorm room, the four girls were dressed in outfits similar, but different from their usual outfits. For instance, Yang was wearing a jacket that actually _covered_ her midsection, but still left enough open on her chest to show off cleavage.

"Alright, this mission is now... Starting!" Ruby exclaimed excitedly as she jumped down from her bunk.

"Glad to see we're taking this seriously..." Weiss mumbled.

There was a knock at the door, and Yang opened it to reveal JoJo standing there in a new outfit of his own. He wore a dark blue tank top that seemed a size or two too small. The shirt was cropped at the bottom so it showed off his abs, and his pants consisted of dark blue trousers with brown leather boots on his feet.

All of their eyes widened at JoJo's outfit, but a line of blood could be seen trickling down from Yang's nose as she stared at his abs.

"Wow. That's... A nice outfit, JoJo." Weiss said in awe.

"Yeah... It's not really my style but something just clicked when I saw it, as if I were meant to wear it." He said.

"Still needs a little something... Perhaps a scarf?" Blake mentioned.

"I don't know why, but a scarf actually sounds nice." Jonathan gripped his chin as if he were thinking.

"Well I know _I_ like the outfit," Yang grinned.

Jonathan turned around to close the door, and Ruby gasped.  
"JoJo, I didn't know you had a tattoo!"

"What? I don't have a tattoo." He said.

"Uh, yeah you do. It's on the back of your shoulder." Weiss said.

"Ohhhhh haha, that's not a tattoo. It's a birthmark." Jonathan smiled as he let them get a better view at the star on the back of his shoulder.

"That looks exactly like a star." Blake said.

"That's because it is, Blake. Everyone in my family has this birthmark, it's how you can tell if someone is a Joestar!" Jonathan stated proudly.

"Heh, star. Get it? Joestar? Joe-star?" Yang giggled.

"Yes, Yang. We get it." Weiss sighed at the blonde's puns.

"Hey, chill out Weiss." Yang laughed.

"Please, stop." Ruby groaned.

Jonathan on the other hand, found the jokes hilarious. He began laughing for a few moments before it died down, much to the dismay of Ruby, Weiss, and Blake.

"Well at least _someone_ here has a sense of humor. Ain't that right, big guy?" Yang smiled as she put a hand on his broad shoulder.

"You're right." JoJo grinned.

Everyone else groaned, then Sun and Neptune burst through the door.  
"What's up guys?" Sun asked nonchalantly.

"Hey, Sun." Ruby smiled at the two. "Hi Neptune."

"Whoa big guy, put a shirt on!" Sun laughed when he saw Jonathan.

"Why don't _you_ put a shirt on?" JoJo grinned, gesturing to his clearly displayed abs and chest.

"Ooooooooh" everyone else said.

"BURN." Ruby laughed.

"Been here two days and you've already turned them against me." Sun comically narrowed his eyes at JoJo.

"Hey man, you started it." Jonathan smiled.

After a few moments, Sun broke into a grin, then he and JoJo started laughing.  
Neptune, now self-conscious, looked down at his covered torso and frowned slightly.  
"Awe sad puppy." Yang booped Neptune on the nose, shaking him out of his self-pity.

"Right, well, can we go now? We _do_ have things to do." Weiss pointed out.

"Hey Blake, maybe JoJo can come with us?" Sun asked hopefully.

"He can't, he's not a Faunus." she responded.

"Neither are you?" JoJo told her.

"Yes I am," Blake responded.

Jonathan narrowed his eyes at the supposed Faunus.

She sighed heavily, then removed her bow, revealing her cat ears.

Jonathan's eyes widened as he put his hands on the sides of his head and exclaimed, "OHHHH MY GOD!"

Everyone's eyes widened at his sudden change of composure.  
Slowly, JoJo lowered his hands as he stared at the cat ears.

"My apologies, I don't know where that came from." Jonathan apologized.  
Ruby cleared her throat loudly.

"Are we gonna go?"

"Right-o, shall we?" Jonathan began to walk out of the door.

"Wait," Yang said, and JoJo stopped. "If us three are all going, how are we going to fit on my motorcycle?"

[Line Break]

Jonathan, Neptune, and Yang parked in front of Junior's club in the shady side of Vale. Yang and JoJo hopped off her motorcycle, Bumblebee, while Neptune climbed out of a sidecar that they had attached to the side of the cycle.  
They decided it would be best to play rock paper scissors to decide who would ride in the sidecar, and the loser was not too happy.

"This is the place," Yang stated as she removed her sunglasses.

"Next time, _you_ get to ride sidecar." Neptune pointed at Jonathan.

"Chin up, lad. Maybe next time you'll be the one to win rock paper scissors." JoJo said with a sincere smile.

"I-! Oh I can't stay mad at you." Neptune chuckled.

Yang cleared her throat.  
"If you two are done, we've got nightclub full of bad guys to go into."

"Right, then. Lead on, Yang." Jonathan pointed towards the door.

A man in a dark suit with a red dress shirt ran into the club towards Junior.  
"Run! She's coming!" he yelled as he dove behind the bar.

"Wait, who's coming?" Junior asked, then the door exploded open.

A blond woman with a curvy body walked out of the smoke and announced, "I'm baaaack~"

But as soon as she raised her arms as if in a shrugging motion, a dozen guns pointed at her face. She opened her eyes and frowned at the sight of the firearms.

"Wait, don't shoot!" Junior's voice rang out as she pushed his goons out of the way to get to the front.

"Blondie! You're here! Why?" he asked.

Jonathan and Neptune then peeked from behind Yang.

JoJo gasped at the sight of the nightclub, and Neptune chuckled nervously at the thugs in front of them.

"I just want some information. Besides, you still owe me a drink." Yang said as she walked past Junior towards the bar.

"What a woman." Neptune watched Yang walk away, but she turned her head and winked in Jonathan's direction.

"I told you, he came in, paid in cash for some of my guys. Then left. That's all I know about the guy! My boys never even came back." Junior told Yang.

"So where did they go?" Neptune asked.

Junior looked at him, "What kind of a stupid question is that? I just said they never came back. Who is this idiot?" Junior turned his attention back to Yang.

"Ignore him. Is that seriously all the info you have on the guy?" she asked.

"Yes, Blondie." Junior rolled his eyes.

Jonathan was silent the entire time, intently paying attention to the conversation.  
"Fine. Come on guys, we're going." Yang told her friends.  
JoJo and Neptune followed her out.

"See ya, please never come back!" Junior called after them.

"Rock, paper, scissors!"

...

"Rock, paper, scissors!"

...

"Rock, paper, scissors!"

"Guys can we just get out of-" Yang sighed, then her scroll began to ring. Sun was calling.

"Aaaaah!" He yelled through the phone.

Neptune and JoJo stopped their game and turned their attention to Yang.  
"Sun, what's wrong?" she asked.

"Big robot! Guy IN robot! But like, the robot didn't eat him or anything, it's like a mech or something He's controlling it! From the inside!" Sun yelled.

"Where are you?" Yang asked, then to their right they could see Sun and Blake running away from a large robot, with Weiss and Ruby chasing after it.

"AHHHHH!" Sun yelled out.

"I think that's them." Neptune pointed out, gaining a glare from Yang.

"Just get on." she told the two boys.

"Right!" they both said at once, "Rock, paper, scis-!"

"GET ON!" Yang yelled.

"Eep!" Neptune squeaked, then jumped onto the cycle behind Yang.

"...Not fair." JoJo mumbled, then climbed into the sidecar as best as he could with his large body.

Soon, they were speeding down thr highway chasing after the robot. Everyone besides Yang, JoJo, and Neptune were jumping between cars to stay ahead of the robot-mech suit.  
"Do something!" Yang told Neptune and JoJo.  
JoJo only shrugged. There was nothing he _could_ do, unless he could get within punching distance.

"Got it!" Neptune said, then stood as he unslung the rifle from his back, firing at the mech.  
Sun jumped into the air and slammed his palms together, creating two clones of himself that seemed to be made out of light.

The clones began attacking the mech.  
Jonathan could only watch in amazement as this ridiculous battle was going on.  
Neptune transformed his gun into a spear-like weapon that appeared to be a trident.  
He launched himself towards the mech, but it only smacked him aside, sending the blue haired boy flying.

"Neptune!" Sun yelled as he jumped after his team mate.

Ruby and Weiss continued to take shots at the machine, trying to weaken it.  
A long flatbed trailer drove past Yang and JoJo, and a light bulb went off in the Joestar's head.  
Jonathan jumped onto the trailer, which was nearing the large mech.

"JoJo!" Yang yelled, but Jonathan turned around and gave her a thumbs-up. She nodded in response, and continued driving her yellow motorcycle.

"Weiss! Freeze it's top!" Jonathan yelled.

Weiss created a white glyph in front of her that shot ice towards the mech, covering the top in ice.  
The truck bed JoJo was on drove right beside the still moving mech.

"Perfect timing!" JoJo grinned, then got into a fighting pose.

 **"Kooooooooh!"** Jonathan breathed, a yellow aura surrounding him.

"Hamon KICK!" JoJo yelled, then kicked the mech as hard as he could where there was ice.

"Looks like that Dust ice conducts Hamon just fine! All it needed was a little time to start melting!" Jonathan laughed victoriously as the mech shook from all the Hamon Jonathan had put into it.

Ruby took the opportunity to hit it with everything she had, surprisingly _knocking the mech off of the bridge._  
Jonathan, Weiss, Ruby, Blake, and Yang jumped after it, leaping off of the bridge. The four girls landed nimbly, but JoJo had to tuck and roll in order to not sustain major damage.  
The Hamon filled ice exploded on impact, creating a thick fog to cover the five students.  
Red targeting lasers pierced the fog, coming from the mech.

"It's trying to locate us." Ruby whispered.

"I'll give it something to locate." Yang said, then charged towards it.

With a yell, she delivered a powerful punch to the machine. Or so she thought. The mech caught Yang and slammed her against a concrete support beam for the bridge. As she fell, the mech punched Yang, sending her through the beam and effectively breaking it into pieces.

"Yang!" Jonathan yelled, then the mech turned towards them.

As it began to charge towards the four, a large pillar of fire erupted behind the mech, causing Ruby to smirk in response.

"Game over." she said.

Behind the mech, stood a blond girl with red eyes that glowed in the night and hair that glowed yellow.

"YAHHHHH!" Yang yelled ferociously as she charged the mech, punching it towards JoJo and the others as if it weighed nothing.

But as soon as her fist made contact, the mech literally fell apart until all that was left was a single man in a bowler hat and red hair, surrounded by the remains of the mech.

"Ohhhh great." he silently cursed.

"You!" Ruby yelled at him.

"Me?" he turned around and saw them.

"Him?" Jonathan asked.

"Oh hey there, Red! I'd love to stay and play, bu-" he didn't get the chance to finish. Yang punched him in the back, sending him towards JoJo and the rest of team RWBY.

JoJo took the opportunity to kick him as soon as he got close, sending him back to Yang.  
Yang grinned and punched him again to JoJo.

"Tennis, anyone?" Yang laughed, but just before Roman could make it back to Jonathan, a small girl stopped him midair.

She had pink and brown hair, with eyes to match. She smirked smugly in JoJo's direction.  
The girl could've been no more than five feet tall, at least.

"Ugh, thanks Neo." Roman groaned, holding his head.

The girl, Neo, spun an umbrella around her and Roman.  
Yang and Ruby began to run towards them, but they were too far.

"As I was saying, I'd love to play with you five, but I've got plans. Neo?" Roman stated smugly, then Neo rested the umbrella on her shoulder.

Yang and Ruby finally hit them, but Roman and Neo shattered as if they were made of glass!  
An airship could be heard above them, so JoJo and team RWBY turned to see the real Neo and Roman standing in it as the airship flew away.

"Well... I guess they made our plans... Fall apart?" Weiss joked.

Jonathan snickered, but Blake simply said "No" and walked away.

"But you do it!" Weiss looked at Yang.

"There's a time and place for jokes, Weiss."

"And this wasn't it?"

"No, yours just wasn't funny." Yang said, then walked in the direction that Blake went.

"Well at least I'm trying!" Weiss said.

She, Ruby, and Jonathan then walked after Blake and Yang.

"I thought it was funny." Jonathan told the heiress.

" _Thank_ you, Jonathan." she replied.

"Hey guys? What happened to Neptune and Sun?" Ruby asked.

"They're probably fine." Blake answered.

"Probably?" Jonathan asked.

"So you think they're doing okay without us?" Neptune asked.  
He and Sun were currently eating noodles at a little noodle shop near where they landed.

"Yeah I'm definitely sure they're fine. Probably." Sun replied, then sucked down some noodles.

"Probably?" Neptune asked.

 _ **Hey there, it's the author. Just saying I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'm definitely gonna put out another one either tomorrow or the next day. Probably. P. S., I know that Hamon isn't electricity, I just remembered how it behaves almost exactly like electricity and thought it'd be pretty funny to power up Nora in the fight against JoJo. Plus, that little trick could become useful in the future, eh?**_  
 _ **Also, if there's something you guys think I could improve on, feel free to tell me.**_

 _ **Also, Jonathan Joestar is kind of difficult to write in the RWBY universe, in JJBA the situations were extremely serious, which makes it harder to depict him as comedic. So, since he never exactly got to... Live life to the fullest, I thought it'd be a decent idea to give him a few traits from a certain clacker-using Joestar.**_


	6. Chapter 6: The Dance

"You're telling me a single team of first year students managed to interrupt the White Fang rally _and_ get the best of Torchwick? These girls are proving to be more and more annoying." Cinder told Mercury and Emerald, who had just delivered the news of what happened on the bridge.

"Plus three others. Two transfers from Haven and that guy you keep swooning over." Mercury mentioned.

Cinder glared at him, a slight orange glow to her eyes.  
"I do _not_ swoon." she stated.

"Anyway, what are we gonna do about them?" Emerald asked.

"I hope they'll be eliminated when phase 2 comes to fruition. But if not, then the _final_ stage of the plan will surely get them." Cinder said.

Emerald and Mercury grinned menacingly as their leader smiled coldly.

[Line Break]

"I'm beat!" Yang groaned as she face-planted onto her bunk.

"I think we all are, sis." Ruby yawned as she climbed up to her own bunk.

"Yeah but _I_ was sent through a concrete pillar!" Yang retorted, though her voice was muffled because her face was in her pillows. The sleeping kind, not the chest kind.

"At least you two didn't have a perfectly good outfit ruined!" Weiss frowned, looking at the tiny rip in the fabric of her coat.

"Blah blah blah, 'I'm _Weiss,_ I have a ton of wardrobe malfunctions after beating up bad guys!' " Ruby mimicked.

"Hey!" Weiss exclaimed.

Yang's muffled laughter could be heard from her bunk.

[Line Break]

Pyrrha Nikos was currently fighting against all of team CRDL in a sparring match. None of the four members could even land a blow on the Spartan. She dodged every attack thrown while also fending off the entire team.  
She used her shield as a weapon just as much as her sword, throwing the round object at the attacking team only to fly back to her.

"She's doing exceptionally well!" Jonathan grinned as he watched the battle rage on.

"That's Pyrrha for you, not much can take her down." Ruby smiled, watching the fight just as intently as JoJo.

Pyrrha dodged a blow from Cardin, his mace slamming against the floor and causing a small explosion.  
The young prodigy landed majestically and raised her shield in front of her in a defensive stance.  
Cardin grit his teeth and rushed her again, hitting his own team mate in the head and knocking him back.

"You said Jaune had trouble with this Winchester fellow at the beginning of school?" JoJo asked Ruby.

"Yeah, but that's ancient history. Cardin and his team have actually improved since the- OH MY DUST!" Ruby exclaimed.

Pyrrha had just deflected Cardin's attack, kicking him into the air and slicing at him in midair. Once the two got higher into the air, Pyrrha grabbed hold of her opponent and began to slam him down, spinning several times to gain momentum, then slamming Cardin into the floor in a gigantic body slam. The initial impact caused a large crater in the classroom floor.  
Pyrrha once again got into her fighting stance, but it was clear that the entirety of team CRDL was no longer able to continue.

"And that's the match." Professor Goodwitch announced as she walked into the center of the room.

"Lucky shot." Cardin groaned, then promptly fell forward from his crouched position.

"You've proved once again that you're an exceptional warrior, Miss Nikos." Glynda complimented.

"Thank you, professor." Pyrrha smiled.

"Now, who else would like to volunteer?" Goodwitch asked.

"I would." a voice said as he raised his hand. It was Mercury Black.

"Alright then, and who would you like to challenge?" Glynda asked.

"Hmm, I want..." Mercury said as he looked around the room with a finger on his chin, then looked at Pyrrha, "Her."

"Me?" Pyrrha asked.

"I'm sorry, Miss Nikos has already participated in a match today-" Glynda said.

"No, no! It's fine. I'll be happy to accept your challenge." Pyrrha told Mercury.

"Very well, then. Mister Black, go to the locker room and prepare for your battle." Goodwitch told him.

Mercury gave a two fingered salute, then headed for the door.

"It's not good to do two matches in a row, she's already lost aura in the last one, plus she's probably tired." Weiss said.

JoJo looked over at the heiress. She was right, Pyrrha was at a disadvantage now.  
"C'mon, this is Pyrrha we're talking about! She'll be fine." Yang assured.

"Yeah, Yang's right! Pyrrha's never lost, tired or not!" Ruby grinned, her fist held in front of her.

"I don't know guys, I think Weiss might have a point." JoJo said, his eyes on Pyrrha and Goodwitch.

You'd think others would notice too, but only Jonathan seemed to see it. She hid it very well, but Jonathan had been practicing breathing for long enough to see Pyrrha slightly panting.

After a short amount of time, Mercury walked onto the center of the room in his combat outfit. JoJo couldn't see any weapons, but apparently Yang did.

"Are those...shotgun gauntlets, but for his legs? I feel offended." Yang crossed her arms.

Sure enough, a pair of weapons similar to Yang's Ember Celica were on Mercury's ankles.  
"Well that should be interesting..." Blake noted, watching intently as Mercury and Pyrrha began to square off.

Their faces appeared next to an aura meter on the large screen, and a buzzer signaled to start the fight.  
Mercury jumped towards Pyrrha, kicking as she blocked the blows with her shield.  
Pyrrha began to go on the offensive once Mercury landed, slicing at him only for him to dodge backwards like an acrobat.  
Mercury smirked as Pyrrha got into a defensive position. He began to kick the air, sending silver-looking orbs of energy around him.

"Is he... Break dancing?" Yang asked.

Surely enough, Mercury was spinning around on his hands with his feet swinging around in the air. But, the silver orbs of energy around him began to spin in the air as if they were caught in a tornado.  
The energy suddenly flew towards Pyrrha, but she expertly dodged and maneuvered around them, running towards Mercury all the while.  
Once she got within range, she lunged at Mercury with her javelin. Mercury quickly dodged, attempting to kick at Pyrrha's upper body.  
The Spartan moved her hand, redirecting the kick with her semblance. However, Mercury noticed this. He dodged her next attack, then stood plainly with a smirk on his lips.  
Pyrrha ran towards the boy, her weapons raised to attack. Then Mercury did something that no one expected.

"I forfeit." he raised his hand into the air.

Pyrrha's eyes widened as she halted her attack, running past Mercury and stopping behind him.  
"You're... Not even going to finish the fight?" she asked.

"What's the point? You're clearly a far superior warrior, we're leagues apart." he shrugged.

"Er... Very well. The winner of the match is Pyrrha Nikos, again." Professor Goodwitch announced.

"That... Was very odd." Jonathan pointed out.

"I think so too. I mean, I get that Pyrrha is a tough opponent, but I would've at least finished the match." Weiss said.

"I think there's something going on." JoJo replied.

"Why would you think that? It's not like that Mercury guy has some sort of ulterior motive or anything." Ruby said, looking at the Englishman.

"All I have is a hunch. But the last time I had a hunch like this was..." JoJo said, resting his chin in his hand, then his eyes widened slightly.

"Look if this guy _is_ up to something, it couldn't be that bad. I mean he's in a training school full of hunters and huntresses, so chill out alright?" Yang told him with a reassuring smile.

JoJo nodded, "Perhaps I'm just worrying too much."

"Yeah, see? Now c'mon, let's see who's gonna fight next!" Ruby grinned.

"We have time for just one more match, since the last one was cut short. The fighters could volunteer or be randomly chosen, take your pick." Glynda told the crowd of students.

"Ooh, I'll go!" Yang grinned as she raised her hand.

"Very good, Miss Xiao Long. Who else wants-" Professor Goodwitch said.

" _Actually_ Professor, I'd like to challenge someone, like Mercury did." Yang grinned as she slammed her fists together.

"Miss Xiao Long, I swear if it's Pyrrha-"

"Oh no, no, no. I wanna challenge..." Yang scanned the crowd with her finger on her chin, much like Mercury did.

" _Him!"_ Yang said, pointing directly at Jonathan.

JoJo's eyes widened. He'd seen Yang fight others before in this class. He didn't want to end up like they did.  
But, he couldn't refuse. It would be extremely rude to decline a lady. Plus it'd make him look weak.

"Very well." Jonathan said as he stood.

Scattered students shook eagerly in their seats, including all of team RWBY.  
"Very good. You can go to the locker room and change, and grab any weapons you have."

Glynda told him, fully aware that JoJo had no weapons.  
Jonathan nodded, then headed for the locker room with Yang.

After Jonathan had changed into his signature outfit, he and Yang stood by the door to go back into the classroom.

"You ready for this?" Yang grinned.

"Oh most definitely," Jonathan said with semi-faked enthusiasm. He was interested to see who was better at hand to hand, but he also knew that Yang packed a punch. Literally.

"Just... Take it easy with using the guns on those gauntlets." JoJo looked at her.  
Yang could see the slightly worried look in his eyes, but nodded.

"If possible, I'd like for you to mainly use your fists." Jonathan said, then put a hand on the door to open it.

"That's what she said." Yang snickered.

"What was that?" JoJo asked, looking back at her.

"Nothing, big guy. Let's get in there, they're all waiting for us." Yang grinned at her joke.  
Jonathan shrugged, then pushed the door open.

"This is gonna be so awesome!" Ruby squealed as Yang and JoJo faced each other, both in fighting stances.

"Heck yeah it is, I just wanna see who's gonna win!" Jaune smiled from the row behind team RWBY.

"Go get her, JoJo!" Nora cheered, earning a look from team RWBY.

"What? He's on our team too. Yang isn't. So I'm cheering for our teammate!" Nora grinned.  
The buzzer sounded, and team RWBY and JNPR immediately turned their attention back to the fight.

Yang and JoJo ran towards each other from across the floor.  
"That's strange, usually she immediately flies towards the opponent with her gauntlets." Blake noted.

The others noticed it as well.  
"Maybe she's taking it easy on him since he doesn't have a weapon?" Ruby guessed.

"Or maybe, she too wants to know who's the better fighter in hand-to-hand combat." Weiss pointed out.

Both ideas were good guesses, because that's exactly what was going through Yang's mind.  
Yang jumped as she and Jonathan neared each other. She attempted to bring down her fist on his head, but JoJo was quick to react. He caught her fist, and threw her behind him. Yang flew several meters before recovering in midair, landing on her feet and rushing towards the muscled Englishman.  
Both Yang and Jonathan punched towards each other, their fists colliding.  
Yang then used her other fist to punch him in the gut, making JoJo reel back. Yang went on the offensive, forcing Jonathan to back up and block her expertly thrown punches.  
As Jonathan backed up, he noticed something that would favor him. Yang's stance was currently wide open as she threw punches at him. JoJo grinned mischievously, making Yang's eyes widen momentarily.

JoJo suddenly fell backwards quickly, kicking Yang's chest with both of his feet in a powerful drop kick. Yang flew several feet backwards and landed on her back, but by the time she regained her footing, Jonathan was already on top of her. Figuratively, of course.  
Jonathan reared back and threw a punch at Yang, hitting her square in the chest.  
Once that hit landed, JoJo used his other fist to hit the same spot. He tried it again, but Yang caught his fist and threw him backwards.  
Jonathan immediately got into a defensive stance when he regained his bearings, but Yang was still standing there, a crimson blush on her face.

"Why do you keep hitting my chest?!" she demanded.

Jonathan began to blush himself, but an answer came out of nowhere.  
JoJo smirked, then ran towards Yang while she was... Occupied.

"Because it's a big target!" Jonathan grinned as he attempted to punch Yang.

"Oh no he didn't." Blake said aloud while most of the other students couldn't help but laugh. Even Weiss was trying to hold it in, but she knew Yang would get her later if she did. Ruby, on the other hand, was giggling loudly as JoJo approached Yang.

Yang caught his large fist in the palm of her hand, raising her previously downcast eyes to meet JoJo's.  
Jonathan's eyes widened as he tried to pull his hand back, but the blonde had an iron grip on it.  
Her eyes glowed red. Jonathan was well aware of what happens to people once this happens.  
Yang grinned, "Big target, eh? Well lucky for me, you are too!" Yang punched him in the chest as hard as she could, sending the Joestar flying backwards at the speed of sound and wishing he hadn't said what he did.

" _Where did that line even come from? A gentleman would never say that!"_ was JoJo's last thought before he slammed into the wall, causing a Jonathan-sized hole with him in it.

"Owwww!" some students groaned.

Yang's eyes widened sightly as she realized that JoJo wasn't getting out. Her eyes returned to lilac as she looked at the screen. Her meter was at 85%, JoJo's was at 17%.  
Yang rushed towards the crater in the wall, but not to attack. She was worried.

"JoJo, are you alright? JoJ-" she said, but was interrupted when a fist flew out of the hole and punched her directly in the forehead.

Yang flew back with a shocked expression on her face, then landed and skidded across the floor.

"Ooooh!" the students groaned again.

"Wha-?" Yang said as she got back to her feet, then looked at where the punch had originated.  
Jonathan was currently climbing out of the hole, his shirt ripped up and exposing most of one side of his chest.

"Is that... Anger?" Blake asked as Jonathan simply walked towards Yang.

"I don't think so. JoJo isn't the type to _be_ angry." Ruby said.

"As far as we know." Weiss pointed out.

"JoJo, are you alright?" Yang asked as Jonathan neared her.

He then stood directly in front of her, towering over the blond.  
Jonathan reared his fist back, and Yang squeezed her eyes shut to prepare for the worst. But it never came. She carefully opened her eyes.

"Boop." Jonathan poked her on the nose with a grin on his face.

Nora began laughing at the action.

"Huh?" Yang asked as she looked up at Jonathan.

"Come on, I'd never hit a lady with her eyes closed. What do you think I am, a punk?" JoJo grinned.

Yang's surprised expression soon turned to one of humor as she let out a laugh.  
"I just thought you'd be angry because of that punch-" she said.

"Oh, that little hit? Pardon my brashness, but it'll take a lot more than that to put me out of the fight." Jonathan smiled kindly.

"Oh yeah? Let's see." Yang grinned, then stepped back and got into a fighting stance.

"This time, I won't hold back." Jonathan smiled.

"Me either," she said, "Besides the gun part, at least."

Jonathan smirked, then charged. Yang dodged the hit, then punched him in the side. But Jonathan kept going as if he hadn't been hit at all. JoJo delivered a blow to Yang's gut, but she too kept going, completely unfazed.  
For a few moments, the two powerhouses simply exchanged blows, the crowd watching as if it were a ping pong match.

" _This isn't going anywhere."_ Yang thought to herself, then allowed her eyes to turn red. Jonathan was prepared for that. He dodged the first blow that Yang tried to hit him with. He had a plan, and it was to annoy her until she became reckless.

"C'mon you could've done better than that." JoJo stated.

He dodged another blow.

"You getting tired there, Yang?"

He dodged another.

"I'm starting to think that you're just not trying."

He dodged another.

"This has to be embarrassing."

And another.

"My word, what's happened to your ability to punch?"

"Shut _UP!"_ Yang yelled as her hair began to glow yellow.

" _That's it."_ Jonathan thought to himself.

Yang yelled out as she threw a barrage of punches at Jonathan, who dodged every single one while rigging up his plan.

Yang stood panting after she'd gotten done punching. JoJo smirked at his plan, " _It seems that I do have the ability to play tricks when I want to."_

"How... Did you dodge all that?" she panted.

"Because my dear, I have a plan in play." Jonathan said, a little smugly, which was very unlike him.

"A... Plan?" she asked.

JoJo smirked, then revealed the rope that he was holding in his hand.  
Yang's eyes widened once she saw where it led, but it was too late. JoJo tugged the rope, effectively tying Yang up and removing her ability to move freely.

"But how?!" she excalimed.

"Now if I were as much of a trickster as I'd like to be, I'd say your next words are along the lines of 'When did you even get the rope on me?' " Jonathan stated.

"When did you even get the rope-WHAT?!" Yang exclaimed.

Jonathan smirked, "Well Yang, to answer your question, it was when you became so angry that you were unaware of the little things that were happening around you." Jonathan said as Yang struggled against the rope. Given her strength, it won't be too long before it snaps.

"Where did the rope even come from?" she demanded.

Jonathan turned around and pointed to his leather pack.  
"And now, to end this before that little rope snaps!" Jonathan announced.

 **"Koooooooh! Overdrive!"** Jonathan yelled, sending Hamon through the rope and into Yang.  
The brawler groaned in pain for several moments before a buzzer went off and a voice cut in.

"And that's the match. Jonathan, you did exceptionally well despite your only weapons being your fists and that rope. Yang, you did well too, but you should work on watching your surroundings while using your semblance." Professor Goodwitch told the two.

JoJo bowed politely to the professor after freeing Yang from the rope.  
"Thank you, Professor." Jonathan said as he picked up Yang bridal-style, then carried her towards the locker rooms.

After the two were off the center floor, Goodwitch announced, "That's all the time we have for today. Be sure to study, for there will be an exam next week."

The students groaned in response, but team RWBY had their mouths hanging open in shock.  
"He... Actually beat Yang?" Ruby asked rhetorically.

"He actually did. That, was not what I was expecting." Blake said.

"That _was_ a neat trick, though. He probably realized he couldn't win with brute strength alone." Weiss speculated.

Jonathan was nearly to the locker room when Yang stirred from her Hamon-induced knockout.  
"You bully, you tricked me." she said as she lightly hit his chest playfully.

JoJo chuckled lightly, "There was no way I'd win a head to head. After all, your aura is... Much stronger than mine."

It was the only lie he could think of to cover for him not having an aura at all, but it seemed to work.

"Well I want a rematch. One with no tricks like the one you pulled." she said.

"Next time, no tricks." Jonathan assured.

"And what was with you guessing what I was gonna say?" she asked as they entered the locker room.

JoJo shrugged, "I dunno, it just popped into my head."

"It was kinda cool," Yang said as Jonathan set her down.

"Yeah well, I don't think I'd be able to pull that again. Anyways, I'll go to the boys locker room now, it's kind of awkward being in yours." JoJo chuckled, then turned and exited the room, Yang watching him the whole time.

Team RWBY was walking outside, heading to their next class.

"How did it work, though? Yang didn't even notice it was there!" Ruby asked excitedly.

"Ruby, we've already told you. Yang was too busy being in her rage mode to notice just about anything around her. That's how she gets." Weiss sighed.

"Right but _how_ though?" she asked again.

Weiss only sighed again.

"Yo, Blake!" a voice said from behind them. Team RWBY turned around to see Sun jogging up to them.

"So I heard about that dance coming up, and I know it'll be super lame, but me and you not as lame?" Sun said vaguely.

"What?" Blake asked.

"The dance! You wanna go?" Sun asked.

"I don't have _time_ for any stupid dances, I thought you of all people would get that." Blake said harshly, then trudged off, leaving her team and Sun behind.

Sun could only shrug when Ruby looked in his direction.

[Line Break]

"You what?" Blake asked.

Team RWBY was currently in their dorm, the darkness outside signifying that it was night time. Weiss and Ruby sat on Weiss' bunk while the other two sat on Yang's bunk.

"We want you to go to the dance." Ruby told her.

"You barely sleep, you won't talk to us, and frankly your grades are suffering." Weiss counted each one on her fingers.

"You think I care about grades? People's lives are at stake!" Blake shot back.

"We know," Yang put a hand on her shoulder, "We're still trying to find what Torchwick is up to, but in the meantime, you need to take it easy."

"We're gonna give you the perfect night, then the next day we can continue our search; well rested and ready." Weiss said.

"Yeah since we're planning the whole thing." Yang grinned.

"What do you think?" Weiss asked.

Blake closed her eyes for a moment before speaking.  
"I think this is all a huge waste of time." she said, then walked out of the dorm, leaving the three other girls alone.

But there was a knock on the door immediately.  
Weiss opened the door, and her eyes immediately widened in terror.  
The person that was standing there, was Jaune, holding a guitar.

"Weiss!" he sang, then winked.

Weiss slammed the door.  
Jaune knocked on the door again.

"Oh come on. I promise not to sing." he said through the door, and Weiss opened it again.  
Jaune stood there, still with the guitar.

"I lieeed!" he sang, and Weiss facepalmed.

Jaune strummed the guitar as he sang, "Weiss Schnee, will you accompany me, to the daaaaance onnnnn... Sunday?"

"Are you finished?" Weiss asked.

"...Yes?"

Weiss slammed the door again, then turned back to her team mates.  
"What?" she asked.

"And _that,_ is why they call you the Ice Queen." Yang responded.

"Oh please, the only reason boys are interested in me is because of the perks of my family name. Besides, I already have a date in mind." Weiss replied.

"Who cares about dates? None of it's going to matter if Blake's not going..." Ruby said sadly.

[Line Break]

"You're going to what?" Jonathan asked.

He and Professor Ozpin were standing in JoJo's dorm room. Jonathan was getting ready to turn in for the night when there was a knock at the door.

"After reviewing your combat videos, I believe it's necessary for you to have your own weapon. While you are very skilled with your own hands and your Hamon, your sparring matches would go a lot smoother if you had a weapon to rely on. Your latest match against Yang Xiao Long was quite impressive when you began using that clever trick instead of brawn alone, but that little rope isn't going to work on every opponent." Ozpin explained.

JoJo nodded. He was right, every fight is always a close one. For the few months he's been here, his matches are usually less than successful. While Jonathan didn't exactly lose, he didn't really win either, except for the fight against Yang.

"You just need a little something to tip the scales. You won't regret it when you're swarmed with Grimm." Ozpin added.

JoJo took a deep breath, "What did you have in mind?"

[Line Break]

"No no no, over _there!"_ Weiss ordered.

Jonathan groaned and moved a large speaker to the spot that it originally was.  
JoJo was helping team RWBY set up the ball room for the dance. Being the gentleman he was, he gladly accepted their offer. Weiss and Yang constantly argued over what needed to be where and what they did and didn't need to have while Ruby sat at a table alone, a sullen expression on her face. After Jonathan moved the speaker, he went over and sat next the young Rose to attempt to cheer her up.

Ruby put her head down on the table as JoJo was sitting down.  
"What's the matter, Ruby? Aren't you excited for the dance?" Jonathan asked kindly.

"It's not that, JoJo. I don't think Blake is coming to the dance." Ruby said with her head still down.

"Why not?"

"I dunno, she thinks it's a waste of time because 'Torchwick is a bigger problem and lives are at stake' and all that jazz."

"I get that, but why not come? She can keep looking after the dance. One night off wouldn't kill her." JoJo frowned.

"Yeah she doesn't _get_ that. She thinks it's priority number one. She's not getting sleep, she barely talks to us, and I'm just worried." Ruby said, still muffled by her head in her arms.

"Well I think I'll have to give her a good talking to." Jonathan said, determined.

"Yang's wayyyy ahead of you, pal." Ruby replied.

Seeing the normally hyperactive girl like this was just making JoJo depressed.  
"Come on Rubes, you gotta cheer up!" Jonathan said as he steadily poked her in the head.

"JoJo, stop." Ruby warned.

"Not until you cheer up." he grinned.

After a few more pokes, Ruby started to get a little annoyed. She raised her head to give him the evil eye, but as soon she picked her head up, Jonathan poked her on the nose.

"Boop." he grinned.

Ruby tried to look ticked off, but her facade broke as her frown turned into a grin.  
"See? It'll be fine." JoJo smiled.

"Whatever you say, JoJo." she smiled at the Englishman.

"Where's my smoke machines?" Yang demanded.

"If _I_ don't get my doilies, _you_ don't get smoke machines!" Weiss retorted.

"Sup guys." a voice said.

Jonathan turned to see Sun and Neptune standing by them.  
Jonathan broke into a grin at the sight of the two exchange students.

"Hey you two. What are you up to?" Jonathan asked.

"Checking out the scene. It's looking pretty good!" Sun grinned.

Neptune saw Weiss and Yang arguing.

"Watch this." he said, then approached them.

"You're gonna have smoke machines?" he asked Weiss.

"We were thinking about it." Weiss replied.

"Smoke machines are cool." Neptune grinned as he looked back at us.

"She sure flipped her script quick." Sun noted.

"She sure did." Jonathan chuckled as he stood and headed for the other speakers.

"Hey, you need help with those?" Sun asked.

"Sure Son, just grab one and follow me." JoJo said as he balanced one of the massive speakers on each of his shoulders with ease.

"Uh, aren't those heavy?" Sun asked.

"Not at all!" Jonathan smiled kindly.

Sun picked up one of the speakers and followed JoJo.  
"Show off." Sun mumbled to himself with a hint of amusement.

"Guys what if Blake doesn't come?" Ruby asked her teammates and Neptune.

"Don't worry, she's coming." Yang answered.

"But-"

"Ruby, she's coming." Yang grinned, then walked towards the exit of the ballroom.

"I wonder what she's gonna do." Neptune said.

"With her, there's no telling." Weiss said.

"Oh you gotta be kidding me!" Sun exclaimed.  
Everyone turned to see Jonathan balancing a large table with several chairs on top of it in his right hand.

"How are you that strong?" Sun demanded.

Jonathan chuckled, then sat the table down.

Once the table was safely down, Sun grabbed JoJo by the collar comically.

"How many push-ups did you do? How many sit ups? WHAT KIND OF JUICE DID YOU DRINK?!" Sun shook the Joestar with that final sentence.

Jonathan laughed nervously, "This is just all natural."

Sun let go of JoJo's collar and fell to his hands and knees in defeat.  
"Guys, Sun's acting weird." Ruby pointed out.

JoJo edged away from the Faunus, trying to reach his team mates.

"Riiight. Well, this should just about do it for the dance preparations!" Weiss said enthusiastically.

[Line Break]

Later that day, Jonathan had just taken an extremely refreshing shower after a long day in Beacon, and was trying to figure out how to use his scroll when there was a knock at the door.  
JoJo quickly threw on his pajama pants over his underwear so he could at least look halfway decent, then opened the door to a startling sight.  
Jaune was standing outside with Ren, but the only thing Ren was wearing was a towel around his waist.

"Uhhhhh... Hello-"

"No time, come on!" Jaune grabbed JoJo's wrist and pulled him into the hallway, dragging him and Ren towards the JNPR dorm.

"Ren, JoJo, I'm just gonna come out and say it. You two, are some of my best friends. These past few months, I feel like we've really bonded. Even though Ren doesn't say much. I mean, you're really quiet, Ren. And to be honest I don't know that much about you. And Jonathan kinda seems like he hangs out more with team RWBY than us. But darn, it I consider you two to be the brothers I never had!" Jaune told the two boys.

Jaune had taken them to JNPR's dorm and sat them on his bed, telling the two all this while Ren was in a towel and JoJo was in his pajamas.

"And I you." Ren replied after a moment.

Jonathan was still a bit shocked that he was suddenly pulled out of his room and into this one.

"Which is why I your advice on...girls." Jaune said reluctantly.

"Girls?" Ren and JoJo asked at the same time.

"I just don't know how to... Girls. Um...," Jaune rattled off, all the while Ren was reaching towards his clothes hanging on the door beside him.

"I guess what I'm asking is... Well... How did you and Nora, you kno-"

"Uh eh uh-" Ren shook his head before someone cleared their throat. JoJo turned his attention to the source to see Nora sitting on her bunk with her headphones around her neck.

Nora chuckled nervously, "We're not actually together-together."

"NORA, I SAID HEADPHONES ON!" Jaune exclaimed.

"Oop!" Nora immediately put her headphones back on.

"Jaune, what is all this about?" Jonathan asked inquisitively.

Jaune sighed and looked down, then said, "It's Weiss. I'm completely head over heels for her, and she won't even give me a chance. She's cold, but she's also incredible. She's smart, and graceful, and talented! I mean, have you heard her sing? ...I just wish she'd take me seriously, you know? I wish I could tell her how I feel without messing it all up."

Jonathan nodded. He understood, but couldn't relate. The only girl trouble he'd been through was with Erina Pendleton, and he'd only recently gotten reacquainted with her after several years.

"Then do it." another voice said. Everyone turned their heads to see Pyrrha standing in the doorway in her combat gear.  
"Tell her exactly what you just said. No ridiculous schemes, no pickup lines, just... Be honest." she said.  
"But w-"

"Jaune, you can't get it wrong if it's the truth." Pyrrha assured.

Jonathan stood up with a grin on his face.

"Yeah! Not even Ice Queen could resist that!"

"You're right." Jaune said, then stood. "Thanks, Pyrrha. Good talk, Ren and JoJo!" Jaune smiled as he walked for the door.

"Practice what you preach, Pyrrha." Nora sighed as Pyrrha headed to her desk in the corner of the room.

JoJo's smile disappeared when he saw the red head's expression.

He then put his palms on the sides of his head in shock, "How did I _not_ notice that!? Jaune, wait up!" JoJo exclaimed as he began to run out of the dorm, but was stopped when someone caught his hand. Jonathan turned his head to see Pyrrha with a grip on his hand.

JoJo realized what was happening, then turned to look at them with a slightly disappointed look on his face.

"You really should tell him, you know." Jonathan told the Spartan.

"That's what we've _been_ telling her!" Nora sighed.

"Do you really think Weiss is going to go with him?" Pyrrha asked sullenly.  
Jonathan thought about Weiss for a moment.

"Probably not, no. There's a reason everyone calls her Ice Queen." JoJo admitted. As much as he liked Jaune, he knew that Weiss was not easily impressed.

"Guys, I hate to interrupt your little depression session, but the dance starts in less than an hour." Ren said as he went into the bathroom, holding a dark suit to change into.

"Oh, no! I'll see you guys later, I have to change!" Jonathan exclaimed as he dashed out of the dorm, leaving the remainder of team JNPR to their own devices.

[Line Break]

The ballroom was slowly being filled with more and more people. As they arrived, students broke off into their own groups or crowded by the punch bowl to wait for the night to really start. Although, a great number of students were already dancing in the center floor.

At the entrance, Yang stood behind a podium and greeted everyone as they got in. But, she soon jumped in excitement at the sight of a certain small, red girl.

"Oh, you look beautiful!" Yang exclaimed. Walking towards her, was a very uncomfortable looking Ruby Rose. She walked as if it were a struggle to maintain her balance, and her facial expression screamed in agony.

"Ugh, can we have a serious talk about how Weiss fights in these?" Ruby said, then stumbled as she made her way to Yang, who was giggling to herself at the sight of her sister.

"Come now, you didn't plan on starting all the fun without me, did you?" a new voice said from behind the sisters. Yang and Ruby both turned their heads to see none other than Jonathan Joestar standing there. He wore a simple black tuxedo with a rose boutonniere on his lapel, with a red bowtie to top it all off.

Yang whistled at the Joestar as he approached her and Ruby, the tuxedo hugging his body relatively tightly. Even Ruby couldn't help it as a small blush tinted her cheeks.

"Let's join the party, shall we?" JoJo smiled as he walked towards the crowd. Yang and Ruby followed him after a moment, all three of them joining Weiss. The heiress was watching the crowd, her eyes following a girl in a dark green bow and purple dress.

"I told ya she would come." Yang crossed her arms. Blake and Sun danced together with the crowd of students around them.

"Mission accomplished." Weiss stated cooly.

"So, what do we do now?" Ruby asked as she looked between her team mates.

"Enjoy ourselves." Jonathan smiled kindly.

"Yeah, just have fun!" Yang said as she grabbed JoJo and pulled him onto the dance floor.

"Wha- But-!'' Ruby tried to say. "Does this mean I can change out of this stupid thing and into my hood now?"

Yang draped her arms around Jonathan's neck, despite the obvious height difference, as JoJo placed his hands on her hips with a surprised expression on his face.

"What's the matter, haven't you ever danced with a pretty girl before?" Yang joked.

"It's not that. Just, what made you want to dance?" Jonathan asked.

"You were going to with someone, I figured it might as well be me." Yang winked.

"Pray tell, what makes you think that?" JoJo blinked.

"Are you kidding? All these girls had their eyes on you as soon as you walked in. Not even Ice Queen could resist. So I thought I'd go ahead and kidnap you before someone else did." Yang smirked.

True to her word, JoJo looked around to see dozens of pairs of eyes glued to him. It was a little unsettling for the young Joestar, but not entirely unpleasant.

"See what I mean?" Yang asked, a grin on her face.

"I believe I'm beginning to, yes."

"Yep. Now dance with me, Joestar." Yang grinned, then pulled JoJo further onto the dance floor. Jonathan couldn't help but smirk as the brawler led him to Blake and Sun.

"I see you finally made it!" Sun grinned at the two.

"Yeah sorry, it took _forever_ to convince Ruby to wear a dress. Plus you know I had to wait for this tall drink of water right here." Yang winked.

"Lookin' sharp by the way, JoJo." Sun smirked as he twirled Blake.

"You are as well, Sun." Jonathan complimented as he dipped Yang.

All across the room, people were enjoying themselves and dancing to the melodic music, except for a particular hunter and huntress in training. Ruby was standing in front of a table with a cup in her hand, looking rather annoyed.

"I see you're hiding by the punch bowl too." Jaune said as he stood next to Ruby, also holding a cup.

"Yep." Ruby replied, putting emphasis on the "P".

"To the socially awkward." Jaune said as he held his cup towards Ruby. In response, Ruby clinked her glass against his and smirked.

After a moment, Ruby looked at Jaune. "Sorry things didn't work out with Weiss."

"Eh, it's fine. Neptune's pretty cool. I get why she went with him." Jaune responded.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, come on, not many people can pull off _blue_ hair."

"No, I mean, Weiss came to the dance alone."

Jaune nearly choked on his drink. "What?"

"Yeah, she said she had 'too much to focus on to worry about boys'.''

Jaune looked at Weiss in the distance, who looked up from her flower arrangement to look at Blake, Sun, and Neptune all laughing together.

Jaune's eyes narrowed, and he held his cup out to Ruby. "Hold my punch." he said, then began walking towards the direction of Neptune.

"This is pretty nice, isn't it?" Yang asked Jonathan.

"Indeed, it's good to just relax from all the fighting for a while." JoJo responded.

"I think my little sister would disagree with you there." Yang joked.

JoJo turned to see a small girl with medium length orange hair and bright green eyes dancing by herself, standing between two Atlas soldiers.

"You know, I think we really needed this." Yang said as she rested her head against Jonathan's chest.

"Yes, I think your team did a great job planning it also." JoJo replied.

"Aww thanks~ But tomorrow it's back to work."

"I'm sure you four can handle anything."

"Four? You are _definitely_ coming with us."

"For what?"

"Really? Were you not told about the missions that teams were being assigned?"

Jonathan shook his head in response.

"Oh, well, the teams are being assigned missions. Sort of, we can choose our own. But I guess you gotta choose between us or Jaune and the others."

JoJo looked down at the lilac-eyed blond and the excited expression on her face.

"Yeah, why not? A mission with you four would be fun." JoJo smiled.

The grin on her face grew at that, then she squealed and dipped Jonathan much like he had been doing to her during the dance, leaving a very shocked expression on the Joestar's face.

Unaware to them, Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black were dancing with each other, but also keeping eye on all the students, making sure none were leaving the room.

"Has anyone left?" Cinder's voice came through their ear pieces.

"No, you're clear." Mercury replied.

"Good." Cinder hung up.

"Looks like the plan's proceeding." Emerald said, taking her eyes off of the door for a moment. But, as soon as her eyes left the exit, Ruby Rose walked out of the ballroom.

"Stupid dress with these stupid shoes and the stupid dance." Ruby mumbled to herself as she walked down the sidewalk away from the ballroom. Unaware to her, Cinder Fall was running across rooftops towards the CCT.

 **End Notes: Sorry this chapter took so long! I've been busy with college stuff and haven't had much time to write. Hopefully the next one won't take so long.**

 **Also, I'm sure you noticed the bit of Joseph's personality in Jonathan. All I can say is, Joseph had to get it from somewhere, right?**

 ***Jonathan x Yang shipping intensifies***


	7. Chapter 7: Search and Destroy

"Y'know, I was prepared for many things. That Nevermore on Initiation day, Blake being a Faunus, fighting Torchwick while he was in that Atlesian prototype. This, is not one of those things." Yang announced to Jonathan.

Jaune was currently moving through the crowd, the students moving out of his way and laughing to themselves. Jaune stopped in front of a familiar red head, whose eyes widened in terror at the sight of the young Knight.

"Jaune...?" Pyrrha asked.

"Oh my." Jonathan said.

Jaune Arc was outfitted in a white dress, very obviously not meant for him to wear.

"Well, a promise is a promise." Jaune smiled awkwardly.

"This can't be real." Yang laughed, she and JoJo were standing a good ten feet away, at the front of the crowd that encircled the two.

Pyrrha began laughing. But she didn't seem to be laughing _at_ him, it seemed like she was laughing at the situation itself. "Jaune, you didn't _have_ to." she said when she stopped laughing momentarily.

"An Arc never goes back on his word. Now, do you wanna stand there and laugh at me, or do you wanna dance?" Jaune asked, then held his hand out to Pyrrha.

"I, would _love_ to dance." Pyrrha replied, and Jaune pulled her to him.

In the back, Nora and Ren were watching the situation unfold.

"Ren, this is _happening_!" Nora exclaimed.

"Wait, what's happening? Ren asked. Nora yanked Ren onto the dance floor, all four members of team JNPR now together.

"Are they about to...?" Jonathan asked, but the four began dancing to the music, amazingly in sync with each other.

"Wait, _WHAT_?" Yang exclaimed at the scene.

"When did they have time to organize this?" JoJo marveled.

Weiss, Blake, Sun, and Neptune joined JoJo and Yang to watch the unexpected event currently in place.

"Are you guys seeing this?!" Sun asked rhetorically.

"When and how was this a thing?!" Weiss exclaimed.

"I do not know but this is amazing!" JoJo smiled excitedly.

"Wait a sec, what made you come back to me?" Weiss asked, turning to Neptune.

"Well, you're lookin' at him." Neptune motioned his head towards Jaune.

As team JNPR was dancing, all eyes in the room was on them. Except for two people.

"Everyone is definitely on the dance floor now, you should be in the clear for now." Emerald spoke into a hidden microphone as she and Mercury stood on the upper floor overlooking the dance floor.

"Good, I'm almost to the CCT." Cinder replied, still jumping from roof to roof. But what she didn't know, was that someone had saw her as soon as she began running on rooftops in the first place.

Ruby Rose was following Cinder via running on the concrete in her unbearable to wear heels. Although Ruby didn't know who the person she was pursuing was, it was obvious that they were up to no good.

Ruby turned a corner to see the woman dragging an unconscious guard into some bushes, glancing around to make sure the coast was clear, then quickly going into the CCT.

"Well _that's_ not good." Ruby thought aloud, then pulled out her scroll and typed on it a few times. Within seconds, a rocket propelled locker landed on the concrete, a few feet from where she stood. Ruby quickly opened the locker and took out Crescent Rose, gripping it tightly and turning towards the CCT. "Okay Ruby, you got this."

By time Ruby got to the elevator, the floor was littered with knocked-out guards, their weapons scattered across the room.

"What is going on?" Ruby wondered, then stepped into the elevator, pushing the button for the room that she figured the intruder would go to- the main communications floor.

" _What is even going on? Why would someone break into the CCT, neutralize the guards, and go up into the tower? For what purpose?"_ Ruby thought to herself as she rode the elevator upwards.

Ding!

The elevator doors slid open, and Ruby stepped out into the communications room, Crescent Rose in hand.

"Hello?" Ruby called out. She stepped forward more, but stumbled a bit in her heels. She groaned and looked down at her feet, glaring the cursed torture devices. After a moment, Ruby resumed approaching the nearby computers and other various communication devices.

"Is anyone there?" she called out again. "Hello?"

Behind one of the long tables, a tall woman in a black outfit stood, her back to Ruby.

"Excuse me, you know it's not a masquerade party, so why don't you take off that-" Ruby raised an eyebrow, but was cut short.

The woman waved her hand, and several crystals that glowed orange appeared out of the air, and flew towards Ruby at an extremely high velocity. Ruby's eyes widened, then quickly blocked the crystals with Crescent Rose. She quickly returned fire with several rapid gunshots of her own, but with no luck. The woman blocked the gunshots with aura from her hand, then dashed back and summoned two black swords out of the air, much like she did with the crystals. Ruby leapt forward with her scythe to attack, but the woman in black deflected the blow with her swords, then instead summoned a black bow with three arrows notched.

The intruder fired the arrows at the young Rose's feet, causing an explosion to erupt in front of her, sending her several feet backwards. The woman's flame colored eyes rose to meet Ruby's, a cold smile beginning to spread across her face, but was cut short as they heard the sound of the elevator doors opening. Ruby turned her head to see none other than James Ironwood step out of the elevator, then turn her head back to her attacker with a grin on her face. But that grin disappeared as soon as she saw that the woman was no longer there.

"I wonder where Ruby went." Yang wondered aloud as she and Jonathan danced as a pair, along with all the other students in the room.

"I'm not sure, but she had better get back soon. She's missing the dance!" JoJo said as he twirled Yang.

"Definitely." Yang smiled, her cheeks tinted red.

As soon as Jonathan pulled Yang upright, someone tapped on her shoulder.

They turned to find a girl with black hair and amber eyes, in a beautiful black dress with matching long, black gloves standing behind them.

"Mind if I cut in?" she asked Yang, but her eyes were on JoJo.

Yang's eye twitched, and she was about to tell her off, but Jonathan smiled kindly.

"Not at all, it would be my pleasure." Jonathan replied and put a hand on Yang's shoulder. She looked back, and he gave her a reassuring nod.

Reluctantly, Yang sighed and began to leave them.

"Don't worry, I'll return him once I'm done playing." Cinder smirked at Yang, making her eyes flash red momentarily.

Jonathan and Cinder put got into the standard dancing position, their arms around each other as they slowly walked in a circular motion with the music playing a slow song.

"How has your evening been?" Jonathan asked kindly.

"It's been...eventful. But it's gotten better now." Cinder replied.

JoJo, not taking the subtle hint, went on. "That's fantastic!"

Cinder smirked, then leaned in closer to Jonathan as they slowly danced.

Jonathan raised an eyebrow at the sudden closeness, but didn't deny it.

"This is nice." Cinder said wistfully, resting her cheek against JoJo's chest.

"Er, yes, it is." Jonathan looked down at her head.

 _"We may have talked a little in the past, but just what is this girl's interest in me?"_ Jonathan thought to himself.

And so they stood like that, dancing slowly with each other to the tune of the music, neither one aware of just who the other one was.

"Uh, Cinder?" someone asked.

Jonathan turned to see Mercury and Emerald standing beside them, a curious look on their faces.

Cinder's eyes narrowed at the interruption, but she sighed and faced her henchmen.

"What is it?" she demanded.

"What of our uh...school project?" Emerald asked.

The song over the speakers ended, and the pairs of students around them were separating from each other.

"Fine. Let's...talk about that project for Port's class." Cinder said, pulling away from JoJo.

Jonathan, being raised the way he was, cut in. "Perhaps I could be of some assistance, I'd be happy to assist such lovely ladies and a gentleman."

Emerald leaned over to Cinder, "I think I see why you like him." she whispered.

"No thank you, Jonathan. We're more than capable of handling it on our own." Cinder refused politely.

JoJo frowned, but relented. "Very well. But if you need any assistance, as a gentleman, I'm more than happy to help."

"Thanks man, but we'll be going now." Mercury steered his companions away from the Joestar to further prevent Cinder and Emerald from eyeing the muscled Englishman.

"Well, farewell!" Jonathan waved as the trio left him.

As they walked towards the exit, Mercury looked at the two girls.

"It was already bad that Cinder daydreamed about the guy, but now you too Emerald?" Mercury mused.

"Dude, have you seen that bod." Emerald replied.

"Yes it's kind of hard to miss it, but I wasn't staring at him cause I'm not creepy."

"Silence, Mercury. I assure that this Jonathan boy will not affect our mission." Cinder smiled coldly as they exited the ballroom.

Jonathan turned around, and his heart skipped a beat. Yang stood directly in front of him, with an eager look in her eyes.

"Enjoy yourself?" she asked.

"I uh-" JoJo started.

"No? Good! You can make up ditching me by spending the rest of the night with me." Yang grabbed his hand and dragged him back over to teams RWBY and JNPR.

 _"What has gotten into Yang?"_ Jonathan thought to himself as Yang dragged him. _"If I didn't know any better, I'd think she was jealous."_

"Argh, why did they keep me up all night dancing? Didn't they know that we had that mission today? They were the ones that told _me_ about it!" Jonathan groaned as he sat up in his dorm's bed. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and looked at the sunlight seeping through the blinds of the windows. His eyes focused on a long, rectangular box that sat on his desk. It appeared to be made out of dark wood, (mahogany maybe?) with the logo of Beacon on the lid, and folded piece of paper sitting on top.

"Hmm?" Jonathan slid out of bed and approached the box. He unfolded the paper and raised it to his eyes.

"Dear Jonathan, today is the day that you and either team RWBY or JNPR will embark on your first mission as a team. I remembered that you didn't have your own weapon to use, so I put in an order to have you one custom made. If you don't like the design, blame Qrow, he created it. Don't worry, I made sure that it'd be a weapon you were familiar with. Use it well. -Professor Ozpin."

Jonathan's eyes widened as he read the note, his mind filling with anticipation to see the supposed weapon. After finishing the letter, Jonathan set it down, and gazed at the box in front of him.

His hands slightly shook as he removed the lid and set it beside the box. Sitting inside the weapon case, was a four-and-a-half-foot long broadsword, with intricate designs engraved along the blade and a blue jewel embedded in the pommel. The blade reflected the sunlight, and the black hilt seemed designed for comfort. Slowly, Jonathan picked the sword up and inspected it closer. The blade was razor sharp, and the sword felt as if it were created specifically for his hand. Which, according to Ozpin's letter, it was.

"This blade feels better than Pluck did!" Jonathan grinned as he gave the weapon a few test swings. After a moment, JoJo swung a bit widely in his excitement, effectively cleaving his desk in two.

Jonathan blinked in shock, eyeing the blade his hand. " _Wow! They definitely sharpened this thing!"_

After carefully returning the sword to the case, JoJo began dressing himself in his school uniform and preparing for the day.

"That should about do it." Jonathan thought aloud as he pulled his signature gloves onto his hands.

"Will all first-year students please report to the amphitheater." said the voice of Glynda Goodwitch over the intercom.

JoJo turned towards the door and cracked his knuckles. "Well, guess it's time to start that mission."

"Quiet, please." Professor Goodwitch announced to the room full of students. Jonathan immediately noticed that there seemed to be four sections of people, each wearing different clothes. He recognized Beacon's uniform being worn in one section, but two other sections wore a different style of uniform, and the final section seemed to be dressed in their casual wear.

Jonathan began scanning the room for his team mates, but it seemed that they found him first.

"JoJo, over here!" Ruby called out, waving at Jonathan.

JoJo turned his head to see all of both team RWBY and team JNPR standing by all of the Beacon students, but strangely enough they wore their combat outfits instead of their uniforms. As soon as JoJo regrouped with his friends, Glynda spoke into the microphone again.

"Professor Ozpin would like to share a few words with you before we begin." she said, then began walking offstage. Professor Ozpin approached the microphone, his cane in hand.

"Today we stand together, united. Mistral, Atlas, Vacuo, Vale. The four kingdoms of Remnant. On this day nearly eighty years ago, the largest war in recorded history came to an end. It was a war of ignorance, of greed, and of oppression. A war that was about much more than where borders fell or who traded with who, but of the very idea of individualism itself. We fought for countless reasons. One of which being the destruction of all forms of art and self-expression. And as you are well aware, that was something many could not stand for. As a result, those who opposed this tyranny began naming their children after one of the core aspects of art itself: color. It was their way to demonstrate that not only would they refuse to tolerate this oppression, but neither would the generations to come. And it is a trend that is held to this very day. We encourage individuality, expressionism, and unity, through diversity. As I have said, today we stand together; united. But this bond cannot exist without effort, which is why today, while the rest of the world celebrates peace, huntsmen and huntresses work to uphold it. As first year students, you'll be tasked with shadowing a professional huntsman or huntress on a mission. Some of you may be taken out of the kingdom for several days, others may work within the walls for the rest of the week. But no matter which path you choose, remember to be safe, remember your training, and remember to do your very best." Ozpin finished. And with that, he walked offstage, students of all schools clapping for the headmaster.

"This is perfect! All we have to do is shadow a huntsman working in the southeast!" Ruby said excitedly.

"Yeah! We'll follow them by day and give 'em the slip at night." Yang grinned.

"Let's check 'search and destroy'." Weiss offered, and JoJo and the others nodded in agreement.

After another team of students were finished with it, team RWBY and Jonathan approached a holographic screen that allowed students to pick their mission.

"Here we go! Quadrant five needs Grimm cleared out!" Ruby pointed at the screen.

"Well, it's in the southeast." Blake noted.

"Sounds perfect!" Yang agreed.

"Agreed." Jonathan nodded.

Ruby began typing on the screen, filling out team RWBY's information, but as soon as she was finished, an error message appeared.

"Mission unavailable to first years?" Jonathan read aloud.

"Wonderful." Weiss rolled her eyes.

"Any other ideas?" Blake asked.

Ruby gasped and pointed to the sky (roof) triumphantly.

"We mail ourselves there!"

Weiss facepalmed, and JoJo blinked at the energetic girl.

"Well, that's one option."

The group turned to see Professor Ozpin walking towards them with a tablet in his hand and an amused smile on his lips.

"Unfortunately, we determined that the concentration of Grimm was too severe for first year students." Ozpin said coolly. "It seems that particular region is rather popular. In fact, I have the sneaking suspicion that the four of you will make your way there no matter which job you choose."

Weiss, Blake, and Yang began to glare at Ruby, who smiled innocently with her hand behind her head.

"Whatever makes you say that?" Ruby chuckled nervously.

"I'm still curious as to how you four found yourselves at the docks last semester." Ozpin said, looking at team RWBY in particular. JoJo looked at them as well, remembering the story they had told him about their fight with Torchwick and the White Fang.

"I'm interested to know about how you _really_ found out about a hideout in the southeast. And I certainly wonder why witnesses reported seeing robots and rose petals in a dance club some time ago."

"Uh...um, uh well.." Ruby glanced around nervously.

"I doubt I'll ever find the exact answers I'm looking for." Ozpin said with a hint of amusement in his voice. "So, how about _this._ Instead of waiting for you all to break the rules, why don't we just bend them?" Professor Ozpin said, then tapped on his tablet several times. In return, the large screen in front of them read "Team RWBY: approved."

Jonathan smirked at the headmaster. At least he seemed to be on their side.

"We won't let you down, sir. Thank you, Professor." Ruby said in a serious tone.

"Do not thank me for this. Teamwork and persistence have carried you far, but you must understand; the things that await you beyond the protection of the kingdom will _not_ care. Stay close to your huntsman at all times, and do exactly as he says. He will be leading you on this mission, and he can send you back to Beacon if he finds your skills unsatisfactory." the headmaster warned, then walked away from the five students.

JoJo took the chance and followed the man, tapping on his shoulder politely.

"Professor, I just wanted to thank you for the-"

"No thank you needed, that was a gift from Qrow. Every huntsman needs a weapon, and Qrow thought that would suit you. Take care of it, for it had plenty of care put into making it." Ozpin smiled kindly.

Jonathan nodded with a grateful smile on his face.

"Good luck, Jonathan. You and your team members might just need it." Ozpin said, then took his leave.

Team RWBY and Jonathan were making their way towards the airships, with JoJo now in his signature outfit and his new weapon slung over his back.

"That wasn't exactly uplifting." Yang deadpanned.

"But it's the truth." Blake replied.

"It's gonna be tough, but I know we can- oh my Dust JoJo, what is THAT?!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Hm? Oh, this?" Jonathan asked as he unslung his new sword.

"Yeah! Where did you get that?" she asked excitedly, her eyes glued to the silver sheen of the blade.

"A gift from Ozpin and your uncle, actually." JoJo grinned as he returned the sword to its new scabbard on his back.

"Uncle Qrow gave that to you?" Yang asked, eyeing the Englishman.

"Apparently so. Ozpin wrote the note, but Qrow gifted the weapon. All Ozpin really said was to take care of it, and that 'every huntsman needs a weapon'."

"Huh. Who would've thought that Qrow could be that nice to anyone but us." Yang laced her fingers and rested her hands behind her head.

"Yeah I'm gonna have to have a serious talk with him-" Ruby puffed out her cheeks.

"Hey, team CVFY is back!" a random Beacon student interrupted her as he walked across their path.

The group turned their heads to see Coco, Velvet, and their two male team members walking towards Beacon.

"When did they even leave?" JoJo raised an eyebrow and put rested his chin in his hand in a sort of pose.

"JoJo, stop your posing and come on." Weiss rolled her eyes as she and the rest of RWBY made their way to the returning team.

"Velvet, are you okay?" Blake asked the brown-haired Faunus.

"I'm fine, I had Yatsuhashi to look out for me." Velvet replied once she turned to face the cat Faunus.

"Your mission was supposed to end a week ago! What happened?" Weiss said once she caught up.

"Nothing happened. It was just...there was just so many." she replied.

Team RWBY and JoJo glanced at each other nervously.

"Oh, but don't worry, you first years are just shadowing hunstmen, so you should be fine." Velvet assured.

"Riiight." Yang said.

"I should go, be safe oka-"

"Why hello~ there, tall, buff and beautiful." a voice said, and Coco suddenly appeared, putting an arm around Velvet.

"Hey, Coco." Yang replied.

Coco laughed, "I wasn't talking to _you,_ Yang. I was talking to him." Coco pointed at Jonathan.

"Me?" JoJo hooked a thumb at his own chest.

Coco lowered her shades and winked at the Englishman. No one could see it, but Yang's eye twitched like it did on the night of the dance, momentarily flashing red.

"Yes, _you._ If you ever want a change of pace, you can come hang out with me and Velvet here." Coco smiled deviously as she pulled Velvet along the path, winking at JoJo once again.

"That was weird." Ruby pointed out, her innocent mind not comprehending what Coco had implied.

Weiss and Blake blushed, while Yang was standing completely still with her gaze lowered and her eyes covered in shadow.

"Well uh, let's get to the airship, shall we, ladies?" Jonathan turned on one heel in the direction of the airships.

"Why hello, girls and boy!" a voice said loudly as soon as Jonathan turned around. Standing in front of them, was none other than Professor Oobleck.

"Who's ready to fight for their lives?"

"Professor Oobleck?" Weiss asked.

The professor began to pace in front of them with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Yes, and I'm afraid you five won't be needing those bags. Seeing as you've opted to shadow a huntsman on what is essentially a reconnaissance mission, I can assure you we will not be establishing a single base of operations. Rather we will be traversing several miles through hazardous wasteland, and making camp in any defendable locations we may stumble upon. I've packed all our essentials myself, provided the air course, and readied the ship." Professor Oobleck explained, then was suddenly in Weiss' face with a finger pointing at her. "And it's Dr. Oobleck! I didn't earn a PhD for fun, thank you very much."

"Uhh..." was all Weiss could say.

"Come now children, according to my schedule we're already three minutes behind, schedule." Oobleck stated with a finger raised, then dashed to the distant airship

.

"Well alright then, it looks like we're going to save the world with Dr. Oobleck- yeah okay when you say it out loud it sounds worse." Ruby said.

"Come now, I'm sure Professor-" Jonathan started.

"Doctor!" Oobleck shouted from the airship.

"Save the world!?" a familiar hyperactive voice exclaimed from behind them.

Everyone turned to find team JNPR walking towards them.

"You're going on world-saving missions without us?" Nora demanded as they got closer. "I'm hurt! And sad! Maybe a little hungry? That last one's not my fault though. Ren!" Nora suddenly glared at the green and pink ninja, who simply turned his head and folded his arms in response.

"Sounds exciting, where ya going?" Jaune asked.

"Just outside the kingdom." Ruby replied.

"Hey! So are we!" Nora responded in her energetic tone.

"Ren and Nora wanted to shadow the sheriff of a nearby village." Pyrrha explained.

"We set out tomorrow." Ren said.

"Then you can party with us tonight!" another voice said.

Out of nowhere, Sun and Neptune appeared doing poses.

"We're shadowing a crime specialist. All inner-city detective stuff. We got junior badges." Neptune grinned.

"Oooooh!" Jaune gasped in awe.

"We normally go to the city with you guys, which means stuff's always exploding and junk. So we thought this might be a better way to check out the kingdom when it's, y'know, normal." Sun shrugged.

"Well-" Ruby began to say, but was quickly interrupted by Dr. Oobleck by the airship.

"Four minutes!"

Ruby looked up with a pained smile on her face, holding two thumbs-up.

For a few awkward moments, everyone just glanced between one another, until JoJo cleared his throat.

"It seems that that's our cue. See you guys later, and good luck with your missions!" he said as he pushed his team mates towards their waiting airship.

"Good luck!" Sun waved.

"Don't die out there!" Jaune yelled as they got farther away.

"Goodbye, JoJo!" Nora waved happily, making Jonathan wince at the words.

In no time at all, all six of them were soaring over the city of Vale in the airship. Yang stood near the open door at the side of the ship, with her hand on a handle on the ceiling, as was everyone else.

"I guess I just never saw you as much of a fighter." she said, overlooking the horizon.

"I admit I fancy myself more of an intellectual, but I can assure you, as a huntsman, I've had my fair share of tussles." Oobleck replied.

"Like the mushroom?" Ruby asked, a hand scratching the top of her head.

"Those are truffles." Blake corrected.

"Like the sprout?"

"Those are brussels." Yang corrected.

"Besides, given my expertise in the field of history, as well as my dabbling in the art archaeological surveys, our dear headmaster saw it fit to assign me to this particular assignment." Oobleck explained.

Weiss opened her mouth to say something, but Jonathan beat her to the punch.

"What does history and archaeology have to do with this mission, Doctor?" JoJo asked curiously, as he was attending college back in England to become an archaeologist.

"A good question, young man! History is the very backbone of our society. And the liver! And probably the kidneys if I were to wager. Also you'll need me to examine the surrounding old buildings and various other ancient relics."

"And that means...?" Weiss asked.

"The southeast quadrant of Vale is home to wild forests and deep caves. But, it is also the location to one of the kingdom's greatest failures." Oobleck explained to the heiress.

"Mountain Glenn." JoJo guessed. While he'd been in the world of Remnant, as an aspiring archaeologist, he'd been studying as much of Remnant's recent and ancient history as he could in his free time.

"That's right, it was an expansion of Vale. But in the end it was overrun by Grimm and fenced off from the rest of the city." Yang remembered.

"Correct! And now it stands abandoned, as a dark reminder."

"And as a likely place for a hideout." Blake noted.

"Precisely." Oobleck adjusted his glasses and grinned mischievously.

The airship began to descend, and JoJo stumbled slightly.

"Still not used to these machines..." Jonathan muttered to himself as he regained his footing.

The five students and huntsman jumped out of the airship as it neared the ground, all of them in defensive stances except for Doctor Oobleck, who simply took a sip from his thermos.

The entire area around them seemed completely abandoned and in ruin. Old buildings were caved in and falling apart, wind howled through the empty streets, and even a tumbleweed comically rolled across the road in front of the group.

"You five may still be students, but as of this moment your first mission as hunters and huntresses has begun. From this point forward, you need to do exactly as I say. Do you understand?" Dr. Oobleck told them.

Everyone nodded in understanding.

"Ruby!"

"Eep!"

"I thought I told you to leave all your bags back at school." Oobleck said to her.

"But uh, you hadn't told us to listen to you yet...so I didn't." Ruby shrugged.

"She's not wrong." Oobleck said to himself.

"Very well. Ruby, leave your bag here, we can pick it up upon our return." Oobleck pointed at her with his thermos in hand.

"But I- uhh..."

"Young lady, what in the world could you possibly have in that bag that could be so important for you to bring it-" Oobleck started, but the large backpack on Ruby's back rustled as a furry head popped out of the entrance, its tongue hanging to the side as it panted.

Jonathan raised an eyebrow as the others peeked around to get a better look at the small canine in the backpack.

"Get back in the bag." Ruby whispered to the dog.

"Woof!" the dog barked.

"She brought a dog with her. In a backpack." JoJo said to Yang.

"We're here to investigate an abandoned urban jungle teeming with death and hostility, and you brought...a dog?" Oobleck said, a completely serious expression on his face.

"Sir, maybe it was a good idea-" Jonathan prepared to defend the young girl.

"Genius!" Doctor Oobleck exclaimed, then picked up the dog and began to spin in circles as he raised the canine into the air. "Canines are historically known for their perceptive nose and heightened sense of hearing, making them excellent for hunts such as ours!"

"Ruff!"

"I'm a genius." Ruby stated, pointing at herself with her thumb, a victorious smile on her face.

Jonathan patted Ruby on the head with a smile on his face.

"Good thinking, Rubes."

Ruby smiled and shook excitedly.

Weiss and Yang could only facepalm at the scene.

"So, what are our orders Doctor?" Blake asked.

Oobleck turned and dropped the corgi to the ground.

"Ah yes, straight to the chase! I like it! As you have been informed, the southeast area has been marked as a recent hotspot for Grimm activity. Now there are several possible explanations for this behavior. One of which, being-Grimm."

"Uhh, what?" Ruby asked.

Jonathan felt a darker presence in the air. He quickly turned around and scanned his surroundings, gripping the hilt of his sword with his right hand. In no time, he spotted a single Beowolf walking across the street.

"Good senses, young man. A creature of Grimm approximately one hundred yards away from us at this very moment." Oobleck said, gesturing in the direction that JoJo was looking.

Team RWBY began readying their weapons to fight.

"Stop. There are a number of reasons why Grimm would congregate in this particular area. The most likely of which being their attraction to negativity. Sadness, envy, loneliness, hatred, all qualities that are likely held by our hidden group harboring ill intent." Oobleck told them as they watched the distant Beowolf.

"So, what now?" Ruby asked.

"We wait, we track. If the specimen leads us to its pack, that pack may lead us to our prey."

"How long do we wait?" Yang asked. JoJo still eyed the creature, his hand ready to unsheathe his blade.

"It's uncertain. Hours, days, weeks. Why, lone Grimm have been known to stand isolated from the pack for months- and there's the whole pack."

Sure enough, over a dozen more Grimm appeared and regrouped with the first one.

"What?" Weiss asked.

"And now they've seen us."

"What?!"

"And now they've seen us!" Oobleck shouted.

"I guess tracking's out of the question." Ruby noted.

"An accurate assumption, yes."

"What's the plan then?" Yang asked.

"We should probably fall back and gain higher ground- and now they're charging us. Wonderful." JoJo said.

All of team RWBY looked back at the older huntsman expectantly as the pack of charging Grimm got closer and closer to them.

"Show me what you're capable of." was all Dr. Oobleck said simply.

"That's all I needed to hear." Yang smiled as she punched her fists together.

"Cover your ears, Zwei!" Ruby looked at the corgi.

 _"So that's the dog's name."_ Jonathan thought to himself as he got into a fighter's pose like Yang, glancing at the small dog to see him covering his ears with his paws.

As soon as the Beowolves got within twenty feet, Yang dashed forward, delivering a deadly blow to the nearest Grimm's chin. Several Grimm that were chasing Yang went to a halt when they saw Blake standing off to their left. Blake's eyes narrowed at the oncoming beasts, and she slowly unsheathed Gambol Shroud. A Beowolf lunged at the Faunus from behind, but she quickly used her semblance to leave behind a clone as she dodged the attack. Without wasting a breath, the black-haired girl went to work on the Beowolves surrounding her, cleaving them in two with her blade.

Meanwhile, Weiss was slicing apart Grimm with ease, her perfect form never faltering as she used her glyphs expertly. She gritted her teeth as she dashed towards a small horde of Grimm, slicing them apart in a flurry of slices.

Nearby, Ruby was sniping distant Beowolves, rapidly yanking back the bolt of Crescent Rose to load round after round into the receiver. The creatures dropped left and right, each bullet passing clean through them and leaving a splatter of blood across the pavement. Ruby squeezed the trigger once more and winced when she heard a telltale _"click",_ signifying that the magazine was empty. She quickly glanced up towards the dark creatures. Ruby scowled, the Grimm were too near for her to load another clip into the scythe. With an envious smile on her face, the team leader transformed Crescent Rose into a scythe, then leapt towards the approaching Beowolves. Ruby gripped her weapon tighter, smirking mischievously, then began to spin rapidly using her semblance, the young girl turning into a cyclone of death and adorable destruction.

Not too far from Doctor Oobleck, JoJo held his sword in an attack stance, his eyes glancing from Beowolf to Beowolf as they circled him.

 _"Fifteen in total. Normally, I wouldn't be fond of these odds, but this gift from Qrow and Professor Ozpin should even that out. It'll be just like fighting Dio's zombies."_

The Grimm began to give low growls, their eyes glowing more intensely. Then all of a sudden, they stopped circling the Joestar, their hind legs tensing. As a young boy, Jonathan's father took him to a visiting circus in London. This was before Dio Brando had come into his life, and it's one of JoJo's fondest memories from his childhood. During the circus, the ringleader was having issues in his performance with a lion. As the ringleader tried to get the animal under control, JoJo remembered seeing the lion's legs tensing just like these Beowolves' were. They may have been completely different animals, but the same rule seemed to apply.

Jonathan gripped his sword tighter, preparing for the inevitable assault. One moment passed. Then two. Then three. Besides the sound of distant gunfire and roaring, all was silent. The Beowolves stared down JoJo, and he did the same to them. Several feet behind him and the Grimm, Oobleck loudly slurped from his thermos. Then with that, the Beowolves pounced. Jonathan's eyes narrowed, and he let his sword fly. Albeit unskilled, Jonathan sliced several of the Grimm in two in rapid succession, then quickly dodged the attacks of the remaining eight creatures. The Grimm landed swiftly, quickly turning to face Jonathan. JoJo readied his blade again, his breathing even.

"Well that's the last of them!" Ruby announced to her team mates.

"It seems like it. Let's return to Doctor Oobleck and continue the mission." Blake replied as she sheathed Gambol Shroud.

"I agree, let's-" Weiss began.

"Shh, girls check it out." Yang pointed.

"Did you just interrupt me-"

"Weiss shut up."

"DID YOU JUST-"

"WEISS."

"WHAT?"

"SILENCE." Yang forcibly turned Weiss' head to look in the direction in which she had pointed.

"Oh."

A hundred feet away, Jonathan was fighting a group of Beowolves by himself, armed with his new sword.

"Yah!" Jonathan yelled as he sliced a Beo's skull in two, disintegrating the beast into dark mist.

But, as soon as JoJo turned to face the other Grimm, one of the four final Beowolves struck him in the arm, effectively knocking his weapon out of his hand, clattering against the pavement.

Ruby began to get up from her position and run to help JoJo. She, Blake, Weiss, and Yang were laying on a large pile of rubble, watching the fight unfold. Before Ruby could get to her feet and speed off in a flurry of rose petals, Yang grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back to her spot while never leaving her own spot and never taking her eyes off of Jonathan.

"Just wait, let's see how this turns out." Yang told her sister.

Blake and Weiss wordlessly nodded in response.

JoJo smirked, regaining his footing and smacking the Beowolf back with his fist. The Beowolf growled in pain and flew back, its allies immediately charging in its place. Jonathan returned to his signature stance, clenching his fists as he prepared to start swinging.

 **"Kooooooooooooooooh!"** A yellow aura enveloped Jonathan as he began his trained Hamon breathing. As soon as the creatures of Grimm neared him, their claws raised in an attempt to slash him, JoJo let his fists fly.

"Zoom Punch!" his arm extended much more than it should, his Hamon nulling the pain as it stretched out and punched the nearest Beowolf. The Beo immediately began disintegrating. Before the others could falter, Jonathan let out a flurry of punches at the Beowolves, delivering blows to their bodies in succession. Just as Jonathan delivered the last punch, he turned away from the Beowolves and raised his hand in front of his face in a pose.

"O-oh, hello there." Jonathan's victorious expression faltered when he saw team RWBY laying across a pile of rubble, staring at him. Ruby jumped up excitedly, "That was totally awesome!"

JoJo smiled at the girl's excitement, then went to retrieve his sword.

"He was all like 'Yah!' and they were all 'Ahhh no I'm dead!' and then he was all 'Surprise, my arm stretches!' and just- it was all-" Ruby then proceeded to let out a series of high-pitched squeals at the Englishman's fight.

"I must concur with Miss Rose, that was a splendid performance, young man. It's admirable that you do not need your weapon to defeat the creatures of Grimm. Speaking of which, I overheard that your weapon is new, a gift from Qrow Branwen. Tell me, have you come up with a name for it?" Doctor Oobleck rattled off.

"Oh, well, no Profess- I mean Doctor. I guess I haven't thought of one yet."

"I see. Very well! Shall we continue?" Oobleck replied, then disappeared at a speed that rivaled Ruby.

Jonathan sighed with a light smile on his face as he sheathed his sword.

"JoJo, that was a blast to watch." Blake said as she walked past him, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Your form needs a _lot_ of work." Weiss stated with her usual heiress tone as she walked swiftly past him.

Ruby did nothing but stop in front of him and squeal happily for several seconds before continuing on her way.

JoJo let out a chuckle, then turned to find Yang grinning at him.

"Not bad, crater face." she chuckled.

"Isn't that what you sometimes call Ruby?"

"Yeah but see, you remember that time I punched you into the wall?"

"Oh, I see." JoJo said with a joking tone.

"Oh, you see now?" Yang said with a grin.

"Yes I remember that day."

"Are you sure you don't need a reminder?"

"I'm fairly sure, yes."

"Positive?" Yang pointed at him, with the same smile on her face.

"Hey! Hurry up you two, Oobleck's out running us!" Ruby shouted at them from a couple hundred feet away.

"Guess we better get going." Yang chuckled, then lightly punched Jonathan on the shoulder and walked towards their team mates.

Jonathan chuckled lightly, then followed Yang to catch up with Doctor Oobleck.

"Here we go again."

 _ **Hello to the few readers that enjoy this, love ya, and apologies for the long wait on this! I recently began my first semester of college, so I've been up to my neck with work. I'll try to put these out more often, maybe a chapter every two or three weeks if I'm lucky enough to get free time and be motivated to write this. Like always, feel free to share your thoughts and/or to make me aware of any problems with this. Also if anyone has any ideas for plot points or anything like that, share em with me! See you guys next time**_


	8. Chapter 8: Battle on the Grimm Express

For nearly two hours, team RWBY and Jonathan constantly fought Grimm Beowolves that had shown up. While the five of them fought the Grimm, Doctor Oobleck inspected the surrounding plant life and buildings. They didn't mind it at first, but eventually the five students began to get tired. Even Jonathan, who had gone through hours of strenuous Hamon training to become as physically fit as possible, was starting to get a little winded.

"Excellent work, students!" Oobleck looked up from the plant that he was focused on.

All around JoJo and the girls, Beowolf bodies were dissipating into darkness, and everyone was panting.

"Unfortunately, there don't seem to be any signs of criminal operations in this sector. Oh well, moving on!" Oobleck said, briskly turning around and marching towards inner part of the ruined city.

"Hey doc, you know I was really looking forward to seeing a professional huntsman in action. Like fighting, or at least helping us fight?" Yang said.

"Oh but I am in action, scouring the ruins of this once great city for any signs of irregularity," Doctor Oobleck replied, then stopped and turned to look at his student. "Not every mission is filled with daring and heroism, students. Sometimes it's just a heightened form of extermination. Remember, this is a mission, and you all signed up for it. I do hope you understand that."

"Well, yeah. O-of course!" Yang replied.

"Hmm." Oobleck said, though no one seemed to hear.

"Don't worry Yang, maybe we'll be in such life-threatening danger that it'll force him to fight with us." Blake said with a smirk.

"Don't patronize me." Yang glanced over at her.

"She's partly right, we'll have our chance." Jonathan put a hand on the blonde's shoulder.

Yang's expression softened, "Thanks, JoJo."

Behind everyone, Blake spread her arms with an expression on her face that said, "What the...?"

"Come now, everyone! We still have plenty of work to do!" Oobleck announced.

"You heard em, let's get to it." Ruby sighed and followed the professor.

"Might as well." Weiss rolled her eyes.

After JoJo and team RWBY cleared out more and more Grimm, Doctor Oobleck decided to single out all of them and ask them questions.

As they were clearing out the Beowolves, Oobleck appeared right beside Yang.

"So tell me Yang, what made you choose this line of work?"

"Huh? Well, to fight monsters and sav-"

"No that is what you do, I want you tell me _why_ you do it. The honest reason as to why you want to become a huntress." he interrupted.

"The honest reason? I'm a thrill seeker. I wanna travel around the world and get wrapped up in as many crazy adventures as I can. And if I help people along the way, then that's even better. It's a win-win y'know?" she replied.

"I see." Oobleck replied, then zipped off to bother someone else.

After questioning all of team RWBY and hearing their very different reasons for being a huntress, the huntsman reached Jonathan.

JoJo had just punched down several Beowolves with his Hamon when Oobleck appeared directly in front of him.

"So young Jonathan, why are you here to become a huntsman?" he asked.

"I beg your pardon?" Jonathan blinked.

Oobleck took a sip of coffee, "What is your reason for becoming a huntsman?"

Jonathan regained his composure, standing upright instead of in a fighting stance, "Well Doctor Oobleck..." JoJo trailed off. He didn't know if Oobleck was aware of his situation, so he thought he'd play it safe and say something reasonable. "I want to defend the people who can't defend themselves from the dark evils of the world. I hope to accomplish that with Ruby and the others to help me."

"Very noble, good luck with your ambition." Doctor Oobleck said, then zipped off again.

"That man never stops, does he?" Jonathan asked.

"Nope, never." Weiss sighed and walked to stand beside Jonathan.

"Students, it's getting dark. You four, set up camp in that building," Oobleck tossed a bag at Weiss, Blake, Yang, and Jonathan. JoJo caught the bag easily before it could collide with Blake's face. "Oh, and do please make sure that there are no more of those creatures. Your leader and I are going to secure the perimeter. Come, Ruby."

Ruby glanced at her teammates and gave a small shrug, but followed the huntsman with Zwei at her heels. Reluctantly, the remaining students began to head inside of the building that Oobleck had pointed to. Yang was still watching her sister and Oobleck walk in the opposite direction of them.

"She'll be fine." Blake steered Yang towards the building.

"She better be." Yang grit her teeth.

Jonathan chuckled lightly as he slung Oobleck's bag over his shoulder and followed the three girls in front of him.

 _"This is certainly an interesting way to spend an adventure."_ JoJo thought to himself.

Within the hour, the camp was set up for the night. They even had a fire set up in the middle of the room they were in, courtesy of Jonathan. Ruby and Doctor Oobleck had been gone for almost two hours, and everyone was getting uneasy.

"Where could they be?" Weiss asked.

"I dunno, but it may be a while before they get back. There's no telling what Oobleck is doing." Blake sighed.

"Soooo whatcha wanna do to pass the time?" Yang asked as she sat down on her bedroll.

"Perhaps we'll just tell scary stories around the campfire." Blake said sarcastically.

"That's a great idea!" Yang grinned.

"I propose we tell stories of our personal experiences instead of frightful stories." Jonathan raised an index finger.

"That's even better! JoJo, what'd you do before coming to Beacon?" Yang looked at him.

Jonathan's eyes widened. He hadn't realized that meant him too.

"I too am interested in your past. We know next to nothing about you before coming here." Weiss stated.

"Oh, uh, er-" JoJo said nervously, but some divine force had been looking over him that night. Before he could get into any of his past, a familiar high-pitched voice rang out.

"We're baaack~" Ruby announced.

"Indeed!" Doctor Oobleck announced as well.

Jonathan exhaled the breath he was holding in.

 _"Thank goodness."_ he thought to himself.

"I see that you set up camp quite adequately. Good work, you four!" Doctor Oobleck told them.

Ruby gasped and quickly knelt by the fire, "Fire! Sooo warm!"

"Very good! Eat your dinners, then it's off to bed. We have a lot of ground to cover tomorrow and we'll need you to take turns taking watch over camp, any volunteers for the first watch?" Oobleck announced.

"Yo." Ruby raised a hand, still by the fire. After Oobleck zipped off, Ruby got up and walked towards her spot to take watch. As she walked past Yang, the blond turned to her sister.

"Hey, did Oobleck ask you why you wanted to become a huntress? I mean, what'd you tell him?"

"Huh, no, he didn't. Weird. Anyway, good night guys." Ruby continued on her way, leaving everyone else to uncomfortably start preparing for bed. Blake, Weiss, Yang, and Jonathan crawled into their bedrolls, but it seemed like JoJo was having issues with his.

"Mine's too small." JoJo said quietly.

Surprisingly enough, that got a laugh out of Yang for the first time today.

"Students, stop your horseplay! We have to get up early to continue our search for those nefarious criminals!" Oobleck announced from another room, but his voice had a hint of humor on it.

Eventually, the four of them actually tried to fall asleep, although it proved to be easier said than done. After a few minutes though, only Jonathan was able to fall asleep, despite his bedroll only reaching up to his lower chest. Nearby, Ruby sat on the ground, petting Zwei near a large hole in the wall.

"Don't worry Zwei, things will get better tomorrow." she told the corgi reassuringly.

Halfway through the night, after Ruby's watch shift, Zwei woke up. He whined and nudged Ruby, waking her up as well.

"Wha- oh. Huh? Zwei, it's late. Go back to bed." Ruby yawned, then tried to put her head back down, but Zwei had other plans. He took off running out of the building, running over Jonathan's head.

"Zwei!" Ruby exclaimed, reaching after him.

"Wha-?" JoJo's eyes shot open, scanning his surroundings for a threat.

"Zwei, get back here!" Ruby grabbed Crescent Rose and ran after her corgi.

"Ruby, wait!" Jonathan quickly got to his feet and chased after her, forgetting to grab his sword.

JoJo chased Ruby, who chased Zwei out of the ruined building and into the street.

"Ruby, it's not safe out here!" Jonathan said in a hushed tone, but then he noticed what Zwei was doing. He had to use the restroom.

Ruby sighed, "Zwei, this is a wasteland. You could've done that anywhere."

"Zwei's a gentleman, he'd never to that in front of a lady." JoJo nodded at the corgi, who bowed his head in return.

Jonathan blinked. He'd never seen a dog who reacted in such a way, not even his childhood dog, Danny.

Ruby snickered, "You don't know him very well, the-"

A voice called out of nowhere, "What was that?"

JoJo and Ruby turned their heads to see a couple of White Fang members walking in their direction, but they hadn't seen them yet.

Jonathan quickly put his finger to his lips in a shushing motion, then effortlessly grabbed Zwei and Ruby, each one tucked under both of his arms, then ran and hid behind a building.

"JoJo, put me down!" Ruby whispered.

"Shh!" he peeked around the corner of the building and watched the two White Fang members.

"Thought I heard a Grimm or something." one of them said.

"Man let's just get out of here, this place gives me the creeps." the other one replied.

"Way ahead of you. First dibs on Meredith's cookies when we get back to base." the first one joked.

"You can have them, she can't bake worth a damn anyway." the second one laughed as they walked in the opposite direction.

"Now's our chance!" Jonathan began to retreat.

"Wait JoJo, we gotta follow them!" Ruby told the giant.

"What the devil for?" JoJo stopped and looked at the young girl under his arm.

"This is what we've been looking for! This is our mission!" she explained.

"We can't do this by ourselves." Jonathan said simply.

"Fine, then you go back and I'll follow them!" Ruby wiggled, trying to free herself.

"Nonsense, I'd never leave a lady by herself in the threat of danger!" JoJo retorted.

"Well I'm not going back!" Ruby huffed, annoyed that she was unable to free herself from the Englishman's grip.

JoJo made a split-second decision, "Then we'll just go together."

"Good, let's g-" Ruby began, but Jonathan began running after the two criminal Faunus with Ruby and Zwei in tow.

Once they got close enough, JoJo went much slower, following the White Fang members as stealthily as he could. Surprisingly enough, Zwei stayed completely quiet, not whining even once. Eventually, they reached a small building. The White Fang looked like they were planning to go inside, so JoJo quickly hid behind a building and peeked around. As soon as the door to the building closed, Jonathan came out from his cover and set Ruby and Zwei on their feet.

"Oh boy, here we go! Let's go kick some bu-" Ruby said excitedly.

"Now would be a good time to alert the others." Jonathan interrupted, never taking his eyes off of the building.

Ruby pulled out her scroll and began typing. After a moment she groaned, "No signal."

"Then let's go back, it's safer with backup." Jonathan turned and began walking back towards the building they had set up camp in. After several feet, they heard the sound of dirt shifting, and the world suddenly seemed a few feet shorter.

"What the devil-?" was all Jonathan could say before the ground suddenly disappeared beneath them.

"Wah!" Ruby yelped and grabbed Zwei as she fell, but suddenly stopped in midair! She looked up to see Jonathan hanging onto the edge with one hand and holding the back of Ruby's cape with the other.

"Ruby, throw Zwei up here." JoJo said calmly, but in his mind, he was panicking because his fingers were slipping.

"But-"

"Just do it, Miss Rose!" Jonathan exclaimed, his fingers slipping slightly more.

Ruby yelped and tossed Zwei up and onto level ground.

Just as Zwei left her hand, Jonathan's fingers slipped off of the edge, and the two of them fell into the black abyss.

Sometime later, Jonathan sat up with his hand held against the side of his head.

"Agh, what in the world...?" he checked his surroundings. Ruby was unconscious on the ground to his left, and they now seemed to be in some sort of underground cave. Jonathan stood cautiously and looked behind him.

"Wow..." he marveled at the sight before him. He stood on the edge of a building overlooking the many ruined, underground building laid out before him. "All of this inside a cave?"

"Unh..." Ruby groaned and sat up dizzily. "Ouchie."

Behind them, a door was kicked open, and three White Fang members poured onto the rooftop.

"Freeze!" the first one shouted.

Jonathan instinctively got into a fighting stance and prepared to use Hamon.

"Don't even try it, big guy. You attack, we shoot the girlie here." another one threatened.

Ruby grit her teeth and reached for Crescent Rose, but gasped in surprise when her hand grabbed empty space. JoJo noticed her missing weapon, but held his stance anyway.

"Where did they even come from?" a White Fang asked.

"Doesn't matter, we bring em to the boss." another answered.

"I'd like to see you try!" Jonathan pulled Ruby behind him. **"Koooooh!"** yellow energy sparked throughout Jonathan's fists and arms, causing the thugs to halt their advance.

"What are you doing, he's just one guy!" a Faunus growled.

Reluctantly, the White Fang members advanced towards the students. Once they were within striking distance, JoJo punched the nearest White Fang member in the face, breaking his mask and filling him with Hamon. The second one immediately charged, attempting to poke JoJo with a shock baton. But Jonathan parried the blow and uppercut the Faunus with his Hamon-charged fist.

"Watch out, JoJo!" Ruby exclaimed, but it was too late. The third White Fang member stuck their shock baton directly to Jonathan's skull, causing his body to seize with the electric charge and him to pass out after a mere few seconds.

JoJo's body thudded against the ground, and Ruby's eyes widened.

"Now that that's taken care of..." the White Fang member sighed as he turned his attention to Ruby.

The Faunus attempted to grab Ruby's wrist, but Ruby twisted out of his grip and tried to run through the still open door. But the White Fang member managed to grab her by the back of her cape and yank her back, directly into his waiting fist.

Ruby reeled back from the pain and fell onto the ground, clutching her head.

"Torchwick is gonna be happy with this." the White Fang smirked, then raised his boot over Ruby's head, and that was the last thing she saw before she blacked out.

The next time she woke up, Ruby was being drug across the ground by two White Fang members. She groaned at the pain in her head, but looked from right to left to view her surroundings. Beside her, three guys were attempting to carry Jonathan on their shoulders, barely managing to hold up the giant of a man. She looked to her other side to see an Atlas mech carrying boxes, with White Fang guiding the machine.

"Hey! What are you trying to do, blow all of us up in here?" a voice exclaimed.

On a train car, two White Fang grunts were standing near a glowing, rectangular box.

After another minute or so, the White Fang members dragging Ruby and carrying JoJo stopped.

"Hey, boss! We got somethin' for ya!" one of them called out.

From somewhere in front of them, a voice rang out, "Is it good or bad, because let me tell ya I have had a day."

"Well... It's a little girl and a giant." One of the Faunus holding onto Ruby replied.

On a train car in front of them, a tall figure appeared in the open doorway, with a lit cigar in his mouth.

His eyes widened as he removed the cigar and held it between his fingers, "That, would be bad."

Roman Torchwick jumped down from the train car and tossed his cigar onto the ground. He approached Ruby and an unconscious Jonathan, then kicked Ruby in the chest, knocking her several feet back.

"Wow you are so much more manageable when you're not swishing around that pesky farming tool!" Torchwick laughed.

Ruby grit her teeth and charged Roman, which he easily dodged.

The five White Fang members that hauled them there laughed to themselves at the scene before them.

"Oh man, I really did need this you guys." Roman laughed. "But seriously, how'd you find this place, Red?" he kneeled in front of Ruby.

"Oh y'know, heard there was a rodent problem around here so my friend here and I decided we'd be the pest control. No offense to the Faunus here." Ruby smirked and wiped the blood from her lip.

Roman's eyes narrowed, and he back handed Ruby across the cheek.

"Guess you've gotten a little spunk since the last time we met, eh?" he spit at the ground.

"Unngh..." Jonathan began to stir awake. His eyes fluttered open, and he sat up quickly.

"Oh ho, looks like your pal here finally decided to wake up." Roman turned to JoJo with a smirk.

After analyzing the situation quickly, JoJo was preparing to jump up and go on a punching spree on the White Fang and Roman, but he didn't get the chance. As soon as he opened his mouth to start Hamon breathing, an explosion rocked the floor of the large cave. Everyone turned their heads to spot where it came from to see a dozen White Fang members running for their lives.

"What the-?" Roman raised an eyebrow.

Jonathan took the distraction as an opportunity to jump up and slam together the heads of two White Fang members, then punch the remaining two in the gut, causing them to crumple and fall to the ground.

"Huh-?" Roman turned around, but two seconds too late.

JoJo kicked the thief in the back of the head with a leg sparking with Hamon, sending Roman flying into a pile of stacked boxes.

"Nice, JoJo!" Ruby got to her feet and grinned at the sight of Roman.

"Let's get out of here!" Jonathan checked their area for any immediate threat.

"Hey!" a voice behind them shouted.

From where the explosion sounded, their allies were running towards them.

"Go!" Ruby stated, and she and Jonathan ran full speed to their rescuers, Ruby out speeding JoJo with her semblance.

At the now scattered pile of boxes, Roman Torchwick climbed out and stumbled towards the White Fang members running after the intruders.

"Attach this car and spread the word, the plan is starting now." he told one of them.

"But we're not finished." he responded.

Roman shoved the bottom of his cane under the Faunus' chin, pressing his back against the train car.

"Do it or _you're_ finished." he threatened, then removed his can and walked towards the head of the train, leaving the Faunus to recover.

"Watch out!" JoJo warned.

Ahead of them, several White Fang members were getting into position to fire at them.

"Wah!" Ruby exclaimed, dodging the oncoming shots.

With her speed semblance, she had no problem getting out of the way, but JoJo was less fortunate. He had to make an effort to avoid the White Fang's bullets.

"This is hardly fair!" Jonathan dodged to the left and right, also rolling on the ground once in a while.

"What are you doing? Just run!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Easy for you to say!"

Ruby rolled her eyes and faced forward, but gasped when she saw the two White Fang members with rocket launchers aimed at her. Before they could fire, a fiery explosion knocked them into the nearest wall, and a familiar blond was left standing there.

Yang stood with a scowl on her face and her arm still outstretched from punching the goons.

"Yang!" Ruby cheered.

"Ruby!" Yang wrapped her sister in a bear hug once she reached her.

"Urgh! Can't... Breathe..." Ruby groaned in her older sister's grip.

"Guys, a little help!?" Jonathan called. A dozen feet away, Jonathan was dancing. Not actually, but it reminded Ruby of cowboy movies where someone would fire off at another person's feet and say, "Dance!"

The young huntresses couldn't help but giggle at the sight.

"Where are the others?" Ruby asked.

"Oh y'know, around." Yang grinned, then another chain of explosions went off right after she said that.

"Figures." Ruby rolled her eyes and smirked. Then her eyes widened, "Yang! We gotta go! Torchwick's got all sorts of guns and robots and stuff down there, and it's all being loaded onto those train cars!"

Yang's eyes widened at the news, then she turned to get a look at the train.

"We gotta warn the others." Yang began to march towards the train, but stopped. "Oh yeah, try not to lose your weapons anymore, eh?" Yang pulled Crescent Rose from behind her back in its compact form.

Ruby squealed and snatched her weapon, affectionately petting it.

"Oh I swear I'll never take my eyes off you again, Rosey!" Ruby promised.

In the middle of her fit, Ruby and Yang suddenly felt a large and malevolent presence. Chills went up their spines.

 _"What is this? I've never felt such a presence before! It's worse than any Grimm we've encountered."_ Yang thought to herself.

Then, she and Ruby slowly turned around to see a towering figure behind them.

ゴ

ゴ

ゴ

ゴ

"Wah! Jonathan, don't do that!" Ruby squealed.

"Apologies, I finally got out of range of those firearms. Where are the others?" JoJo chuckled.

"That's where we're going right now. We have to stop that train!" Yang said, then walked briskly towards the train cars, with Ruby and JoJo on her heels.

Blake, Weiss, and Doctor Oobleck had just defeated a group of White Fang when their companions joined them. Weiss gave a small smile at the sight of her team members.

"Very nice work, Miss Xiao Long. Now, let us apprehend these criminals and get out of here quickly." Oobleck sipped his coffee.

"We can't, they're planning something with this train, Doctor." Jonathan explained.

"Nonsense, all of these tunnels lead to dead ends. They were sealed ages ago."

An intercom sounded throughout the cave, "Everyone get to your places, we're moving out!"

A loud squeal signified that the train was beginning to move, and sure enough the train was slowly taking off.

"Ah. Yes. Well. Move out, students! We have a train to catch!" Oobleck pointed at the locomotive.

"We're gonna need backup if we're going to stop it." Jonathan pointed out.

"Oh, I'll call Jaune!" Ruby fished her scroll out of her pocket.

"No offense but what's Jaune going to do?" Weiss asked.

"Well Jaune has access to Nora, so..." Ruby replied.

"Good point."

"Gah, no signal!" Ruby groaned.

"What do we do then?" Blake asked.

"Well, the only thing we can do." Oobleck turned with a grim expression on his face.

"We've got to stop that train." Jonathan stated simply, crossing his arms and pointing at the train with one hand in a pose.

The students and professor sprinted after the train, hoping to catch it before it was too late.

"Hurry, we're about to lose it!" Yang shouted.

Weiss quickly used her semblance and summoned several large glyphs, each one appearing at the feet of each of her allies. The glyphs turned blue and moved forward at an extremely fast pace, carrying the people who stood upon them.

"Waaaah!"Ruby yelped as the glyph zoomed towards the train.

"Well done, Miss Schnee!" Oobleck said with Zwei on his shoulder, the corgi seemingly out of nowhere.

Jonathan and his allies jumped aboard the caboose once they neared it, leaping from Weiss' glyphs. Inside the train car, a White Fang member turned to inspect the sound of the hunters and huntresses landing on it. When he found nothing, he shrugged and went back to tapping on his scroll.

A large fist came out of nowhere and grabbed the Faunus by the shirt.

"Wha-?!" he began to say, but was pulled and thrown out of the train. Jonathan then swung into the train car and landed on his feet. Doctor Oobleck appeared out of the door leading to the back of the caboose and patted the large Englishman on his shoulder.

"Well done, my boy." Oobleck complimented as he and team RWBY entered the train. The six of them found a ladder and climbed to the top of the train to make moving from car to car easier.

"Hurry, children! We must get to the front and take control of the engine!" Oobleck said.

Jonathan nodded. He may have been completely lost when it came to this world's technology, but he knew how trains worked.

"Uh, Professor?" Weiss said nervously.

"Doctor." Oobleck corrected.

"What's that?" the heiress pointed at a hole on the top of the train car. Inside was a rectangular object with various wires hooked into it.

"That, my dear, appears to be a bomb." Doctor Oobleck deadpanned.

"What?!" the five students exclaimed.

"We've got bad guys inbound!" Ruby pointed towards the front of the train, and sure enough, a group of White Fang members were hopping from car to car trying to reach them.

Jonathan and team RWBY readied their weapons while Oobleck remained in a kneeling position.

"Well, I didn't expect them to go-" Doctor Oobleck said, but was interrupted by the bomb starting to beep. "...Easy on us." He finished, eyes narrowing on the explosive. As more White Fang members climbed to the top of the train, Jonathan turned back to the green-haired hunter.

"Doctor, I think it's time we left." JoJo said, his eyes never leaving the approaching White Fang.

"Yes! Blake, detach the caboose!" the elder hunter said. Blake hopped down to where the trains were linked together and raised her weapon to slice it. But before she could swing, the caboose detached by itself.

"Huh?" she said, a confused expression on her face. "It decoupled itself!" she called up to the train.

"What?!" Oobleck's head appeared.

"Guess they _really_ don't want us on this train." Yang commented.

JoJo watched the caboose lag behind as it slowed, his eyes narrowed as he slowly pieced together a puzzle. A lightbulb lit up in his head and his eyes widened. He pointed to the caboose and opened his mouth to speak, but the detached train car exploded before he could warn his allies.

"That's not good..." Oobleck shook his head slowly.

"Uh, this isn't either!" Ruby called out, and the doctor and Joestar turned around to team RWBY.

Ruby had lifted a metal cover on the train car, revealing a second identical bomb.

"Another one?!" Blake exclaimed.

Doctor Oobleck's eyes widened, then the teacher ran ahead to the next train car mumbling, "No, no no!"

Oobleck lifted the hatch on the car he'd jumped on. Like the other two train cars, it too had a bomb placed in it.

"They all have bombs!" the professor called to them. The students' eyes widened as they felt the train car they were on decouple.

"Come on!" JoJo said and ran for the train. The five of them jumped onto the next train car and turned to watch the detached train car fall behind on the tracks.

"This doesn't make any sense! Why are they leaving behind bomb cars?" Yang exclaimed.

"I have an idea, and I do not like it." Jonathan thought aloud.

"Guys?" Ruby called out. Jonathan turned to find the large group of White Fang just a few dozen feet in front of them.

One of the Faunus pointed at them and shouted, "Get the humans! Torchwick wants them dead or alive!"

Zwei whimpered, and team RWBY leapt forward, readying their weapons as the dozens of Faunus approached them. Jonathan glanced at the professor, then unsheathed his sword and joined his team.

Yang kicked one of the White Fang member's feet out from under him, then punched him to the ground while he fell back. JoJo could've sworn he saw her wink at the Faunus just before punching.

Blake immediately went to work, slicing several White Fang at once with Gambol Shroud. Weiss used her semblance and dashed forward, creating ice spikes to knock White Fang off the train. After she ended her ice spikes, she and Ruby both went to slicing and knocking off Faunus.

Ruby twirled her scythe as she used her semblance, rapidly slicing White Fang and leaving behind a flurry of rose petals. If not for the Faunus' aura, the students would have gone a lot easier on the masked Faunus. JoJo was slightly pleased he didn't have to pull his punches, but he wouldn't say that out loud.

The Joestar rushed forward, using his sword to incapacitate as many White Fang members as he could. He let out a war cry as he fought alongside team RWBY, all five of them working as a single unit to defeat their opposition. Ruby and Weiss took turns attacking, jumping back and forth to switch in and out of combat. Yang punched down enemy after enemy, grappling and throwing them off the train. Blake made use of her cloning semblance, leaving them behind to evade attacks whilst slicing or shooting at the White Fang.

Behind them, the detached train car's explosion throughout the tunnel and shook the train. Jonathan and the others struggled to maintain their balance. JoJo sheathed his sword quickly in case he'd have to catch himself.

Where the train car exploded, a hole was created in the roof of the tunnel. Creatures of Grimm began to emerge from the cave and crawl towards the newly formed exit. Even a King Taijitsu emerged and roared in the train's direction.

"Dears gods..." Oobleck watched the Grimm escape from the tunnel. "He's leading Grimm to the city!"

"What?!" Weiss turned.

"The train cars! The bombs are creating holes and releasing the Grimm into the city!" Jonathan shouted, then delivered several punches to a White Fang member's torso.

"Precisely! We have to hurry and stop this train before any more explosions can go off!" Oobleck shouted. "You four, go below and turn off those bombs by any means necessary!"

"What about us?" Ruby asked.

"We're going to stop this train." Oobleck said, determined.

"Yeah I know, JoJo said that earlier." the young girl replied.

The six hunters and huntresses continued running atop the train cars, getting as close to the engine as possible. Out of nowhere, a large mech leapt and landed in front of them.

JoJo grit his teeth and got into his signature fighting stance.

"We got trouble!" Yang raised her fists.

Oobleck grinned, took a swig from his coffee thermos, then extended it somehow. It grew to nearly five feet long. Zwei barked and flattened his ears on his head.

Doctor Oobleck then did the last thing the others expected. He prepared to swing his weapon as if it were a baseball bat, then hit Zwei, engulfing the canine in flames and sending him flying towards the mech. The corgi collided with the Atlas tech, causing it to explode and fall off the train.

Jonathan's mouth hung open at the sight, then regained his composure once he saw that Zwei was yipping happily further down the train, completely unscathed.

Another large mech landed behind the dog, and Zwei turned around to investigate. Before the mech could attack the corgi, several balls of energy collided with it and knocked it off the train. Doctor Oobleck landed nimbly, holding his hat on his head to prevent it from falling off.

Ruby opened a hatch on the train car, and Weiss, Blake, Yang, and JoJo jumped in. The four of them landed inside and scanned the area. Once they saw no enemies, Yang relaxed and lowered her fists.

"I guess this is what we trained for." she said simply.

 _"Not exactly what_ I _trained for."_ JoJo thought to himself, remembering the weeks he spent training with Hamon under the instruction of Will A. Zeppeli.

"Here." Weiss said, shaking JoJo from his thoughts. "This should help you." She handed Blake a magazine filled with Dust rounds. The former White Fang member loaded the clip into her weapon, then the students sprinted towards the engine. Before they could make it to the next car, however, a girl shorter than Ruby appeared in front of them. She had pink and brown hair, eyes, and clothes. A frilly parasol rested on her shoulder, and a cold smirk was on her lips.

 _"It's that girl from the highway..."_ Jonathan thought to himself, but something about her made him uneasy. From the look in her eyes to the way she carried herself, his instincts told him to avoid her at all costs.

"You three go on ahead, I've got this one." Yang said to her companions.

"No, there's only one person I know who possesses this amount of sadism and cruelty, and he's the most dangerous person I've met. Weiss, Blake, you two go on. Yang and I can handle this girl." the Joestar said, never taking his eyes off of the four-foot-ten girl.

Yang reluctantly nodded. The Faunus and heiress ran ahead, but the neopolitan-colored girl readied her weapon. Before she could attack Weiss and Blake, Yang used her gauntlets to fire an explosion at the girl, halting her from attacking their friends.

As Yang and JoJo approached the small girl, the muscled Englishman remembered Roman Torchwick's words during their fight on the bridge. Before he and this girl made their escape, the crime boss said something along the lines of, _"It's been a real pleasure playing with you five, but if you don't mind, it's time I bid you adieu. Neo?"_ Then they disappeared, leaving behind two copies of themselves that shattered like glass when Yang punched them.

 _"The girl's name must be Neo."_ JoJo deduced, wishing he was wearing his hat from his visit to Ogre Street that resembled the hat of Sherlock Holmes.

"So, Neo, my companion and I are going to reach the engine room one way or the other. As a gentlemen, I can offer you two options. Option A: you move aside and we don't have a conflict. Then there's option B: we make you."

Neo only smirked at the large man and widened her stance, signifying that she wasn't moving. Yang grit her teeth and swung at the short girl, but her fist was easily countered and Neo struck a blow to the blonde's face, knocking her back. Jonathan balled his fist and punched Neo in the shoulder, sending her flying into a wall. Or so he thought. Instead, the girl spun in midair and instantly regained her footing. Yang leapt forward, her fist raised to attack. Neo opened her parasol and used it to block the blow.

Neo slid back a few feet from the impact, but when she lowered the parasol, she was uninjured.

Yang narrowed her eyes, "I don't like this one."

Neo smirked in response and rested her parasol on her shoulder.

"It's against my morals to attack a woman, but she's pushing it." JoJo raised his fists.

"...Didn't you just hit her?" Yang glanced at her.

"...Be silent and focus on the fight." Jonathan said.

Yang smirked and raised her fists. She and JoJo lunged at Neo, throwing out attack after attack. The short girl simply dodged their attacks with ease, maintaining her stance and smirking at their efforts. After nearly an entire minute of evading the two's combined attacks, Yang and Jonathan jumped back to catch their breath.

"Okay, now I _really_ don't like her." Yang panted.

"Indeed. No more taking it easy." Jonathan agreed. Yang glanced at the Englishman.

 _"He's been pulling punches?"_ She asked herself.

Neo's head cocked sideways slightly in curiosity. Even she was interested in what he meant.

Jonathan strengthened his fighting stance and narrowed his eyes at the ice cream girl.

 **"Koooooooh!"** A yellow energy emanated from JoJo's body. Warmth spread throughout his body as his exhaustion faded and strength returned. Jonathan smirked, then glared at Neo. He stood normally, then motioned at the girl with his hand as if he were saying, 'Come at me'.

Neo glared at the Joestar, then lunged. She tried to kick him in the chest, but JoJo caught her foot and threw her across the train car. Once again, she recovered in midair. But, as soon as her feet touched the floor, Jonathan was already on top of her. He grabbed her by the shirt and raised her up. While the small girl struggled by kicking Jonathan and scratching his muscled arms, Hamon dulled the pain and already began to heal his wounds.

"Overdrive!" Jonathan shouted as he delivered a Hamon-filled punch to her torso. While her aura took the brunt of the attack, she was still sent flying into the wall behind her, unable to recover like before.

Neo's eyes widened in shock, _"Roman warned us about his 'power', but to see it firsthand..."_

Neo got to her feet and glared at the tall Joestar and the energy radiating from him.

 _"It's odd. When he hit me, I almost felt...warm. As if sunlight washed over me."_ She thought, then turned her eyes to the still-tired Yang. JoJo's eyes widened, and before he could stop her, Neo dashed towards the brawler.

Yang, still exhausted from fighting, could barely raise her arms to defend herself. Neo kicked the blonde in the chest, knocking her back and onto the floor. Jonathan reached them as soon as Neo turned around, delivering a kick to her back. However, Neo shattered and fell to pieces.

"What?!" Jonathan exclaimed. A blow landed against the back of his head, and his vision went black around the edges. He recoiled in pain and turned to face his attacker. Neo was directly behind him, a sadistic smile on her face as she lunged at him. She let out a flurry of kicks, each one aimed to hit vital spots. Jonathan barely blocked the blows, using his arms to catch each one. When he noticed that her attacks were only speeding up. Deciding that he'd be better off going on the offensive, JoJo dodged a particularly powerful kick and began punching at Neo. Her eyes narrowed, but she continued her assault.

The two rapidly exchanged blows, each landing hits. Jonathan grit his teeth and shouted as he increased his attack speed, his Hamon-charged fists looking like a blur.

"OAAAGHHHHHH!" Jonathan roared. A specific punch managed to stagger the short enemy, and JoJo took his chance. His eyes focused and he took a powerful step forward.

 **"Koooooooooooh! Burning Scarlet Overdrive!"** he shouted, Hamon making his fists appear like they were ablaze. Jonathan landed a barrage of punches on Neo's torso similar to his Sunlight Yellow Overdrive. The Hamon depleted her aura in mere seconds, and JoJo reared back for his final punch, but just before he could land it, Neo's form shattered again. He immediately searched his surroundings for any trace of the girl.

Jonathan heard the familiar sound of a blade unsheathing and turned to find the source. Directly behind him, Yang lay on the floor, unconscious. JoJo's eyes widened. She'd used her ability in the middle of their bout and took the advantage to injure Yang even further. Neo looked JoJo directly in the eyes as she raised her parasol. The frilly umbrella had a thin blade protruding from the tip, indicating the sound Jonathan heard. She smiled evilly as she thrusted down.

"NO!" Jonathan shouted. There was no way he'd reach his companion in time, but he ran for her anyway. The scene reminded him of his friend and mentor, Baron Zepelli. JoJo made it nearly halfway to Yang and Neo when the blade was halfway to Yang's chest. Time crawled to a slow for Jonathan Joestar. But, just before the blade could pierce Yang, a flash of red caused Neo to stop and look at the source.

Jonathan turned his head to the right to find a woman in red leap towards Neo, her hand gripping a narrow sword scabbard on her hip. She sliced at Neo widely, who quickly dodged out of the way. Once she got a good look at the newcomer, her irises turned white and the expression on her face faltered. The figure stood over Yang's body with her hand on her weapon. JoJo recognized the type of sword. He'd read about the ancient samurai from Japan who wielded a unique type of sword, meant for fluid and swift strikes.

This new friend/foe also wore an odd white masked that reminded JoJo of a Grimm, and her outfit slightly resembled a combination of both Ruby and Yang's outfits. The woman slightly turned her head towards Jonathan, and he immediately went on his guard. She then turned back to Neo, gripping the hilt of her sword. She slowly drew it, revealing a long katana with a crimson blade. The newcomer pointed her blade towards Neo as she prepared to attack.

As Jonathan examined the woman in red, he noticed specific similarities to Yang. The woman's hair, though it was jet black and had an odd addition to the back that looked like feathers, resembled the same style and length as Yang's. Her size and stature were also similar, along with how she carried herself. Before the Joestar could look further into it, Neo swung her parasol and disappeared without leaving a trace.

The woman sheathed her sword and looked down to Yang, who was still unconscious. Jonathan carefully approached the two, making sure he made no sudden movements. The woman quickly turned her head to the Englishman and put a hand on her sword hilt. JoJo raised his hands to indicate he meant no harm, and the woman lowered her hand. Jonathan crouched beside Yang, lifting her slightly and resting her head against his chest. The woman unsheathed her weapon, making JoJo prepare to defend himself and his friend, but the woman simply turned and sliced the air, creating a large red hole in the air, as if she had sliced it out of nothing. She began to walk towards it, but Jonathan stopped her.

"Thank you for your help." Jonathan called out, making the black-haired woman halt momentarily. She simply turned her head slightly and gave a nod, then stepped through the hole and disappeared.

JoJo sighed and picked up Yang princess-style, then carried her in the direction Weiss and Blake had gone. The blonde stirred in her sleep and nuzzled into Jonathan's chest, but she remained unconscious.

 _"Who was that woman?"_ Jonathan asked as he stepped onto the next train car.

It was a difficult endeavor, but JoJo somehow managed to climb up a ladder that led onto the top of the train cars without dropping Yang. Once he got to the top, he was met by Weiss, Blake, and Ruby looking towards the front of the train. Ruby turned, and her eyes widened.

"Is she okay?" she asked, worry clear in her voice.

"She's fine, just unconscious." JoJo replied.

They turned to see the train approaching the end of the tunnel, and Jonathan's eyes widened.

"What do we do about that?" Jonathan asked nervously. Weiss and Ruby smirked to each other, then Weiss waved Myrtenaster and stabbed it into the train car. Ice erupted from where she stabbed, encasing the five of them in ice, like a protective shield.

Mere seconds after the ice encased them, the train collided with the tunnel wall, and the last thing Jonathan heard before blacking out was the sound of metal crashing against metal.

After what felt like hours of drifting during his unconsciousness, Jonathan slowly opened his eyes to the sight of debris and buildings. His ears rung and he felt blood on his face. But he noticed that he was moving. He looked up to see Yang dragging him, her arms looped under his while she cursed and drug him out of the wreckage. After a moment, JoJo realized it wasn't his ears that were ringing, but alarms that were going off in the city. He and team RWBY were laying in the wreckage of the train, each of them trying to stand up while Yang was dragging JoJo.

Jonathan shook his head and touched his hand to his nose. He raised his hand in front of his eyes to see his fingers coated in red. Once Yang saw that JoJo was awake, she tried helping him up.

"Holy Dust, are you alright?" she asked as she lifted Jonathan to his feet.

"I'm fine, what's happening?" Jonathan asked as he got to his feet.

A deep rumbling came from below the concrete, and a large King Taijitu erupted from the ground. It roared at distant civilians and slithered into a coiled position. Beowolves chased bystanders by down the street, growling and attempting to get their claws on someone. Jonathan's eyes widened when he saw the massive Deathstalker crawling into the large square area they were in.

He and team RWBY had just gotten to their feet when they had begun to get surrounded by the Grimm. Fortunately, the civilians were smart enough to retreat into nearby buildings and out of the way of danger. Before the five warriors could be completely surrounded, Ruby pointed to a raised platform in the center of the square as she prepared her weapon.

"To the square thingy!" the short leader commanded.

"Right!" Yang nodded and ran for the platform, punching various Beowolves on the way.

JoJo and the rest of team RWBY ran after the blonde as she cleared the way to their destination. A King Taijitu rushed them, its mouth open and ready to bite with its massive fangs.

"Zoom Punch!" Jonathan shouted, his arm extending and punching the snake in the snout. The King Taijitu recoiled as Hamon surged into it. Its face began to melt much like a zombie does. Its body dissipated into darkness as its body writhed.

 _"He killed it with one blow?"_ Weiss thought to herself.

Jonathan smirked at his handiwork and leapt onto the platform with team RWBY. They all got into their defensive positions as dozens of Grimm surrounded them once more. JoJo's eyes flew between all the different species of Grimm glaring at them. Some of them he hadn't fought yet, like the Great Taijitu, for instance.

Team RWBY glanced at each other and the Grimm with worried expressions on their faces. Before they could do anything else, the creatures all charged as one. The students readied their weapons to fight as the oncoming wave grew nearer. As soon as their enemies got within a dozen feet of the raised platform, all five students jumped in different directions, into the ocean of red-eyed beasts.

Ruby, Blake, and Weiss sliced and shot the Grimm while Yang and JoJo punched them down. They each slew a dozen Grimm every few seconds, but twice as many took their places as soon as they fell.

"Zoom Punch! Scarlet Overdrive! Turquoise Blue Overdrive! Sunlight Yellow OVERDRIIIIIVE!" Jonathan shouted as he fought a group of large Ursai.

As soon as the last Ursa fell, he turned to find a Deathstalker hissing and crawling towards him at an alarming speed. JoJo grit his teeth and prepared for the large scorpion.

 _"Here it comes...!"_ He thought to himself and widened his fighting stance. The Deathstalker's came at him at the speed of a bullet. Jonathan dodged it easily, of course, but just barely. He took the opportunity to jump towards the giant scorpion. He gritted his teeth and punched the Deathstalker in its bone-plated head, which was a mistake. JoJo's Hamon proved ineffective when directly against the Grimm's natural armor.

The Deathstalker's eyes gleamed, then lunged its pincers at JoJo. Its right claw grabbed Jonathan at the waist while its left got his chest. It immediately began to squeeze, crushing the Joestar's chest.

Jonathan yelled in pain and squeezed his eyes shut. He felt as if his ribs were fracturing by the second.

Yang turned to see JoJo's predicament, and her eyes widened with worry. She began to run to his aid, but she felt a blow be delivered to the back of her head. She grit her teeth as her eyes turned red, then the brawler turned to punch the Ursa behind her as hard as she could, shouting out as she did so.

Jonathan grit his teeth and grabbed the Deathstalker's pincer around his chest, pulling with all his might to remove it. He shouted in both pain and frustration as he pulled, blood spurting out of his mouth from the force at which the claws were crushing his chest.

 _"Come on! If you can rip apart that steel neck brace that even Tarukus couldn't budge, then this monster could surely be pulled apart as well!"_ He mentally shouted.

The Grimm continued to squeeze Jonathan's body with the intent of ripping him apart.

"Oaaaaghhhhhh OVERDRIVE!" JoJo shouted, sending Hamon directly into the beast's claws. It screeched in pain and slightly loosened its grip, giving Jonathan the perfect opportunity to pull the Deathstalker's claw apart far enough to break it, rendering it useless.

The monster once again screeched in pain, but began to once again squeeze with its other claw. Jonathan screamed and tried to rip off the pincer, but struggled. He could feel the pincer cut into his waist. JoJo's eyes widened in pain and his vision began to go black.

Just before he blacked out, the Joestar heard the familiar sound of flesh slicing and a loud, high-pitched screeching. JoJo hit the concrete with thud, and he opened his eyes to see a clawless Deathstalker and Ruby Rose landing nimbly in front of him.

"Are you okay?!" She asked as she extended a hand to JoJo, a worried expression on her face. Jonathan took her hand and clutched his side. Once he was back to his feet, he inspected his side to find blood soaking through his blue shirt.

"I'm fine, get back to your teammates." He gritted his teeth and turned to the wounded Deathstalker.

"But you're hurt!" Ruby protested.

"This is nothing. I can still fight just as well." he responded, already beginning to use Hamon to nullify the pain and heal his wounds.

"But-" the leader was interrupted by a large stinger impaling the ground between her and the Joestar.

Jonathan narrowed his eyes and instinctively unsheathed his blade, swiping at the stinger. He managed to cut cleanly through the area where the tail ended and stinger began. Ruby immediately launched herself towards the Deathstalker, impaling her scythe into its exoskeleton skull.

The Grimm gave a final scream before collapsing to the ground in a massive heap of dissolving darkness. Jonathan gave a relieved sigh, then put his hands together as if he were praying. He began to breathe deeply, and a yellow aura enveloped his body. His bruises faded and cuts slowly closed as warmth spread throughout JoJo's body.

Jonathan sighed contently and turned to see the ensuing battle. His eyes widened once he saw a familiar pink figure flying towards them.

"Nora SMASH!" Nora shouted as she slammed her hammer into the head of a King Taijitu, crumpling its skull like a tin can. The Valkyrie landed and brandished her weapon, then the rest of team JNPR joined her.

"Let's go! Take the heat off of RWBY, team!" Jaune shouted, raising his sword. Team JNPR immediately charged, leaping into hordes of Grimm and fighting ferociously. Nora cleared entire waves of Beowolves with a single swing of her mighty hammer. Ren sliced apart enemies individually with his pistols, and Pyrrha made use of her javelin and shield to easily dispatch of Ursai and Beowolves. Meanwhile, Jaune was well, Jaune.

"Let's get over there!" Ruby shouted and used the recoil from her scythe to propel herself back into the fight. Before Jonathan ran after her, he spotted his friends, Sun and Neptune, appear out of nowhere with badges in their hands. However, their voices were drowned out by the sounds of aircrafts flying through the sky.

Sun comically dropped his badge while he and Neptune gaped at the Atlesian air ships.

Jonathan smiled, relieved that the military had come to their aid. Not that he didn't appreciate the help of JNPR, Sun, and Neptune, but there was a certain comfort that the military gave JoJo.

The loading ramps of the air ships lowered, and Atlesian Knight robots dove from them, landing on the ground and immediately doing what they're programmed to do. Jonathan grinned and went back to fighting as well, slicing apart as many Beowolves as he could with his sword. He hacked and slashed Grimm after Grimm, all the while sending Hamon down the blade.

Jonathan averted his attention when he spotted a Beacon airship out of the corner of his eye. Inside the side doors, he could make out team CFVY readying their weapons and jumping out of the vehicle. The largest of the team, Yatsuhashi, went to work with a massive sword, hitting the ground and creating a large crater while simultaneously wiping out a dozen Beowolves.

The smaller male of the team, Fox, sliced apart a number of Grimm with his weapons that JoJo couldn't make out. Velvet used wild acrobatics to dance around the Grimm, delivering precise blows with ease.

After cutting down another Ursa, JoJo turned to find the largest Beowolf he'd ever seen in the distance. He narrowed his eyes and sprinted towards it, gripping his sword tightly.

JoJo slowed down as he neared the Beowolf when he saw who was currently walking towards it. Coco knocked aside the Grimm's first strike with ease then kicked it back. She then swung the briefcase in her hand over her head and onto the Beowolf's skull, crushing its head instantly.

Jonathan blinked at the huntress' strength. Before he could fully recover, Coco turned to the several normal-sized Beowolves and clicked a button on her briefcase. The object expanded and transformed into a massive chain gun with a large magazine. The Joestar looked to see what she was aiming at and gasped.

"That's too many!" he resumed running to her aid. But what he didn't know was how the weapon itself worked.

Coco gave a devious smirk, then squeezed the trigger. The large gun cut loose on the Deathstalkers, Ursai, and Beowolves that ran towards her, the bullets ripping apart Coco's opposition.

JoJo's mouth gaped at the sight. Not even Dio could kill so many opponents that quickly. The gunfire boomed through the town square and caused the concrete to crack as Coco held her trigger, all the while cutting down the oncoming waves of Grimm. She then focused her fire to a large Nevermore in the sky, slicing the beast clean in half and raining its pieces onto the ground.

A growl was heard from behind Jonathan and he instinctively punched the Ursa in the face without taking his eyes off of the scene and his mouth still agape.

"Something wrong, JoJo?" Weiss asked as she approached him.

"Remind me to not make her mad." He responded, and Weiss could only nod gravely.

A very angry-looking Glynda Goodwitch marched down the street beside them, flicking her riding crop to knock aside any Grimm that posed a threat. She gritted her teeth and aimed the crop at the train wreckage. Purple energy glowed around the debris as they floated upward and corrected themselves. In no time at all, it looked as if nothing at all had happened to the concrete, aside from the dissipating mounds of darkness that were the Grimm's remains.

The Beacon students and Atlesian Knights stood or sat around the center of the square as they recovered from the battle. Teams RWBY, JNPR, CFVY, Sun, Neptune and Jonathan talked with each other on the raised platform while the Knights guarded the perimeter and helped civilians. Professors Goodwitch, Port, and Oobleck had an intense conversation out of earshot of the students.

"When did Port show up?" Yang asked while eyeing the professors.

"I dunno, sometime during the fight." Jaune answered.

In the distance, a pair of Atlesian Knights were escorting Roman Torchwick to an airship. Jonathan grimaced at the crime lord, but was ultimately satisfied that he had been caught.

"What was with that weapon of yours, Coco?" Sun asked.

"Oh this ol' thing? It's a weapon of my own design." She lowered her aviators and winked at the Faunus.

"Yeah, no duh, but how did it rip the Grimm apart so easily?" Neptune interjected.

Her eyes narrowed at the blue-haired boy, "New type of Dust-infused rounds, they're larger and rotate more quickly than normal bullets to stabilize them and allow for deeper penetration."

"Wow, that's... wow." Sun said.

"What I wanna know is," Weiss looked to Jonathan. "How did you kill that King Taijitu with just one punch?"

Everyone turned their eyes to the Englishman in curiosity.

"You've piqued my interest, Ice Queen." Nora said, putting her chin in her hand.

 _"She and the rest of RWBY , Sun, Neptune, and JNPR already know how my Hamon works, so why are they puzzled? Then again...that was a rather large snake, perhaps they weren't aware of Hamon's potential."_ He thought to himself.

"I put all my strength into it? Honestly, I don't know, maybe my Ha- er, 'ability' is more powerful against the Grimm than we thought." He answered.

It wasn't a confident answer, but the others accepted it.

"Whatever, it was still impressive." Blake broke the silence.

"Looks like the professors and Knights are moving out." Pyrrha noted, pointing at their allies boarding airships.

"We better go too, before we get left behind." Ruby said as she got to her feet.

"I'm going to sleep for a week." Yang groaned as she stood.

"Agreed." Jonathan yawned and stood.

"Wow, you're a lot taller up close." Coco pointed out.

Jonathan blinked, "We all sat near each other in class."

"Yeah, but you were sitting then." she replied.

"Coco leave my teammate alone and let's get moving." Yang warned.

"Hey, he's _our_ teammate too." Jaune put an arm around JoJo's shoulder, or tried to at least.

Yang turned to the blonde knight and raised her eyebrow.

"...Just sayin'." Jaune lowered his arm.

The group of students laughed or smirked, then began walking towards the airships.

Professor Ozpin sat at his desk with a mug of hot coffee in his hands.

"Ozpin, are you listening?" a voice asked. The headmaster spun in his chair to look at the faces on his monitor.

"Yes, councilor?" he asked.

"You've left us with no choice. The Vytal Festival cannot be broadcasted, let alone held, if we cannot ensure the safety of our citizens." one of the council members said.

Ozpin took a sip of his coffee and considered the man's words.

"Therefore, we have reached out to the Atlas council and concluded that the best option is to appoint General Ironwood as head of security for the festival."

Ozpin sat down his mug and looked at each of the council members individually, "Very well. Will that be all?"

"For now. But after the festival comes to a close, we are going to have a serious conversation regarding your position at Beacon. Ironwood's reports these past weeks have left us... concerned." the councilman said, then ended the call.

Professor Ozpin sighed and stood from his chair, walking to the large window behind his desk.

"This isn't good." He looked out into the night, Beacon's light's shining through the darkness. The headmaster took a long sip of his coffee as he gazed in the direction of the dormitories.

 _"There's no doubt that there's a battle in store for us, but how is our gentlemanly new addition going to fare?" Professor Ozpin thought to himself before taking another sip from his mug._

Down in his dorm room, Jonathan Joestar was passed out on his large bed, finally getting some well-deserved rest.


	9. Chapter 9: The Vytal Festival

Chapter 9

"Everything is coming along nicely. The entirety of England is already mine, and it's all thanks to the power of the Mask and JoJo's disappearance." Dio Brando monologued to himself as he sat in the darkness of his castle. His white teeth shone through the dark when he smirked.

"After I, Dio, turn all the humans on this wretched island into zombies, then the rest of Europe is next." Dio stood and walked to the balcony where Jonathan was last seen.

"I know not where you went, Jonathan, but wherever you are, I hope you know your comrades never stood a chance after you disappeared."

 _"Besides that one with the tall hat and blonde hair. How he managed to get escape here still eludes me."_ Dio thought to himself.

The vampire rested his hand on the balcony, "No matter, my zombies will find wherever he's hiding."

"This is shaping up to be a fantastic match! Team RWBY is proving to be too much to handle for their opponents." Professor Port laughed into the microphone in front of him.

"Indeed! Their teamwork is extraordinarily spectacular!" Doctor Oobleck agreed from his place besides Port.

The two professors had been appointed as the announcers for the Vytal Festival tournament, and they were currently spectating the battle between team RWBY and team ABRN of Haven Academy. The fight had been neck-and-neck for nearly ten minutes, but everyone watching could tell that team RWBY had slowly been pulling ahead.

Each member of the teams was having their own one-on-one fights around the map. Ruby and Weiss were fighting Nadir and Bolin while Blake dueled Reese and Yang brawled with Arslan. Yang and Arslan went head-to-head, comparing raw strength with both of their hand-to-hand fighting styles. They each grinned as they traded blows, shaking the ground around them with each powerful impact.

"Yeah, Yang! Punch her HARDER!" Nora cheered from the stadium. She and the rest of team JNPR sat with Jonathan in the stands to cheer their friends on.

"Fight valiantly!" Ren called.

"Ruby, tighten your stance! You're too wide open!" Pyrrha shouted.

"You're doing excellent, you four!" Jonathan grinned at the fight.

 _"It's been a few months since Torchwick and the White Fang put Grimm in the city, and they've been training hard to be prepared for whatever comes next. That training is paying off in this fight."_ JoJo thought to himself.

Ever since the fight began, Nora had been letting loose with shouting out profanities and insults that made Jonathan's lip curl. While he adored the hammer-wielder, he didn't approve of her methods for cheering on her friends.

Back on the fighting stage, Ruby and Weiss were fighting a single opponent. Ruby had tried to attack Bolin, but her scythe was blocked by his staff. Ruby grit her teeth and pulled the trigger of her weapon. The recoil blasted her back and allowed her and Weiss to get some breathing room. The girls and Bolin glared at each other from across the arena, then the Haven student charged them. Weiss tried to hit him with ice spikes, but he effortlessly dodged it and continued to run for Ruby. Ruby went into a defensive stance and prepared for the oncoming attack, but the dark-haired boy completely avoided her!

Bolin hit some red crystals protruding from the ground and smirked as he caught the crystal. He tossed it to his teammate, Reese, who then winked at Blake and slammed the Dust into her hover-skate board. Reese rode over to her incapacitated teammate who had his feet frozen to the ground, courtesy of Weiss, then hovered over his legs with her board, melting the ice.

"Come on, guys! You gotta try harder than that!" Nora cupped her hands around her mouth, yelling in the direction of team RWBY.

"They're doing their best, Nora." Jaune chuckled.

"That's no excuse!" the orange-haired girl turned to him.

Suddenly, a buzzer went off and Professor Port's voice boomed over the loud speaker.

"Oh! A clever ploy by Miss Belladonna! I wouldn't want to get on her bad side." the mustachioed professor laughed.

Then, a large ball of ice formed on the field and began to roll around at a high speed.

"Are there... Are there people frozen in there?" Jonathan asked. Sure enough, both of the male members of team ABRN were partly inside of the ball of ice, their bodies frozen from the waist down and their torsos sticking out.

The sight of the frozen students brought back several memories that Jonathan still had nightmares about. His gaze cast down at the memory of Dire's body shattering at the hands of Dio.

Jaune noticed the Joestar's sudden change in attitude and raised an eyebrow.

"Hey man, you okay?" Jaune asked.

"Hm? Oh yes, I'm fine. Just... Remembering a deceased ally." Jonathan shook himself out of his memories.

Jaune nodded and put a hand on the Englishman's large shoulder, "We're here if you wanna talk." Jaune gave a comforting smile.

"Thank you, Jaune. But for now, let's just enjoy the fight." JoJo pointed at the large screens that gave a better view of the battle.

The only remaining girl on team ARBN, Arlsan, got into an Asian-style fighting pose as the large ball of ice containing her teammates rolled towards her.

"Is she going to...?" JoJo's eyes widened.

Arslan slammed her palm into the ice ball, instantly shattering it and saving her teammates.

"Yang!" Weiss called out. The heiress formed a giant wall of ice that stretched from one end of the arena to the other. "Now!"

Yang ran towards the ice and began using her gauntlets' recoil to slide across it.

"What are they planning...?" Pyrrha murmured.

Blake threw Gambol Shroud to Yang, who caught it and used her teammate's momentum to gain speed.

The Faunus then leapt off of Ruby's shoulders and jumped towards their opponents. Blake swung Yang past her, and the blonde had a broad grin on her face as she reared back to punch.

"No way." Nora's eyes widened.

"ORA!" Yang shouted as she punched all three opponents at once. The Haven students' bodies collided as Yang slammed into them, sending them all flying off of the stage at Mach-speed.

The entire stadium erupted in cheer as soon as the students' bodies collided with the energy shield that protected the spectators.

"That's the way!" Jonathan shouted and pumped a fist.

"I knew you could do it, you guys!" Nora cheered.

"Nicely done!" Pyrrha smiled.

"Truly impressive!" Ren clapped.

"Oh Dust we're up next." Jaune realized.

Jonathan clapped a hand on the knight's shoulder, nearly knocking him over.

"Don't worry, you'll do fine!" JoJo smiled.

Jaune wheezed and clutched his chest from the blow.

"Why don't we meet up with Ruby and the others and get some food?" Nora offered.

"That's actually a good idea. What do you guys think?" Pyrrha asked.

"That's a wonderful idea, perhaps it'll help shake Jaune's nervousness." JoJo smirked.

"What about you, Ren?" Nora asked.

A deep rumbling came from the ninja's stomach and his eyes widened. It could be heard even over the sounds the crowd.

The rest of team JNPR and JoJo laughed at Ren, who let out a chuckle and regained his composure.

. . .

After the stadium cleared out, Jonathan and team JNPR took an airship down to where all the festival activities were taking place. They walked past dozens of tents selling food, clothes, and various goods. Nora swooned at all the attachments she could add onto her hammer, but Ren grabbed her by the back of the shirt and pulled her along before she could get too crazy.

JoJo considered buying something for himself, but nothing quite caught his attention.

"Ugh, where are they?" Nora groaned.

"I'm sure we'll find them soo-" Pyrrha chuckled.

"There they are!" Nora pointed ahead.

A few dozen feet in front of them, the four girls were sitting at a noodle shop with a large bowl of noodles in front of each of them, except for Blake, who had a bowl of fish. Or she would have, but the shop keeper pulled the bowls away after suddenly throwing Weiss' card back and lodging it in the table.

"What?" Weiss asked in shock. "But I've barely gone into my monthly allowance..."

All the while, Blake was slowly pulling her bowl back towards her with an odd smile on her face. The old shop keep took it from the Faunus, and she slumped over the table with a look of pure defeat on her face.

"No..." Blake whined.

"Maybe I can help?" Pyrrha smiled as she, JoJo, and the rest of JNPR approached them.

"Pyrrha!" Ruby cheered and threw her arms in the air.

"Aw, you don't have to." Yang replied. Pyrrha smirked and handed the old man her Lien credit card.

"After a show like that, you four deserve a good meal." The bright red head smiled kindly. As soon as she finished her comment, a bowl was slid in front of each member of team JNPR and JoJo, each filled with noodles.

. . .

The nine students groaned and sat back in their chairs, their bowls of ramen now completely empty. However, instead of just having one empty bowl, Blake and Nora had several. Jonathan sighed contently and looked to his friends. Most of them looked all right, but Jaune had his head down on the table and was groaning as if he were sick.

"You guys excited for the- Jaune, you don't look so good." Ruby said.

"Urgh…" he groaned.

"So! Uh…how do you think you'll do in your fight?" Yang asked the other members of team JNPR.

"Well we've got a hammer-wielding psychopath, a famous chick who's won several world fighting competitions, a guy who's basically a ninja, and… Jaune! Each of us are in top condition and experts with our carefully designed and maintained weapons, and _Jaune!"_ Nora rattled off, counting on her fingers.

Ren looked over to his out of commission friend, "Are you gonna take that?"

Jaune only shook his head where it lay on the table, "She's not wrong…"

"Teams JNPR and BRNZ, please report to the stadium to begin your match!" Professor Port's voice boomed out of the loud speaker.

"Yes, on the double!" Doctor Oobleck's voice added.

"Well, we'd better get going before we're disqualified." Pyrrha grinned and stood.

Jaune's eyes widened and he put his head into the trashcan beside him, the noodles making their way back up his esophagus.

Teams RWBY, JNPR, and Jonathan stared at him with wide eyes and hung-open mouth at the very sick Jaune.

"Gurk!" He made a sickening sound as the threw up into the can.

"Uh…" Weiss said awkwardly.

"I think I ate too much…" Jaune groaned once he was finished.

"You don't say…" Yang replied. Jaune quickly covered his mouth, then returned his head to the trashcan.

"Well! Jaune's unable to compete." Nora stated.

Everyone's eyes widened in response to her claim. "Wait, then how are we going to be in the tournament?" Pyrrha asked.

"Well… I have an idea." Jonathan rubbed the back of his neck.

"It could work." Blake shrugged. "He's technically on your team, too."

Jaune momentarily returned his head to face JoJo. "You'd step in for me?"

Jonathan nodded gravely and pat the blond knight on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Jaune, I've got your team."

Jaune nodded in response, his face a sickly shade of green. "Good, cause I dunno what we'd do if you didn't." He burped and covered his mouth.

Jonathan stood and put one hand on his hip and the other on his opposite shoulder, crossing his legs as he stood in a pose. "Together, we can surely defeat any opposition!" JoJo announced proudly. Ruby began to look excited at the Joestar's words.

"All right, then! JoJo will fight in Jaune's place. If the fight against Torchwick was any indication, he can handle himself in dire situations-!" Ruby grinned and stood beside Jonathan, mimicking his pose, but the loud whine of the loudspeaker interrupted her. "TEAM JNPR, PLEASE REPORT TO THE COMBAT STADIUM _IMMEDIATELY_ OR YOU WILL BE DISQUALIFIED!" Professor Oobleck's voice boomed.

"Oh no!" Pyrrha exclaimed and began to run towards the airships with Nora and Ren.

"Er, see you later!" Jonathan waved and ran after the three.

"Come on, we gotta get up there too!" Ruby shrieked and grabbed Jaune, running towards the airships with her team.

. . .

After Jonathan changed into a new outfit he'd gotten from a particularly interesting store in the shopping district of Vale and grabbed his new sword, he hurried to the center of the arena with his team to begin their battle.

"Um, what's he wearing?" Weiss asked as Jonathan stepped into the large stadium, the cameras zooming in on the young Joestar and displaying his image on the enormous screens for the audience to see. Jonathan Joestar smirked and adjusted the gold bracelets on his wrist. The Hamon user was currently outfitted in a black shirt with its sleeves rolled up to his shoulders and dark brown pants. A lighter brown-colored piece of clothing covered his legs but were cut out on the inside, appearing similar to chaps. They had a large pouch for pockets on each side where JoJo's upper thighs. Around his waist were two belts, a brown one that was worn normally and a blue one that was worn loosely around his hips. Along with this, he also wore a pair of brown leather riding boots that he wore outside his pants and went up to his knees, a pair of fingerless gloves that reached his elbows, and his usual small leather backpack which contained various items he could use in battle. On the front of his shirt was the flag of England. The flag was also on his boots and gloves, reaching from his wrist to his elbows and vertically on a small space from his knees to just six inches down his legs. The Joestar's knuckles had round pieces of gold placed individually, which could conduct Hamon and made his punches harder, and his right wrist was decorated with four oversized gold bracelets. **(1.)**

Jonathan was rather pleased with his appearance, and was hoping others would be too.

Pyrrha's mouth hung open at the sight of the Joestar's…interesting taste in fashion. Up until now, JoJo's friends had only seen him dressed in his Beacon uniform or his usual blue tank top and simple brown pants. But now, he was dressed as if he wanted to make a flashy first impression on his spectators.

"Oho! It seems that young Jaune Arc has been replaced by Jonathan Joestar, team JNPR's temporary fifth team member! How will he fare in the leader's place?" Professor Port mused.

"Apologies for being late! I hope no one's too angry for my tardiness." Jonathan smiled as he reached teams JNPR and BRNZ facing off.

"Who's this weird guy?" a boy on BRNZ with black hair swept to one side laughed at Jonathan's appearance. The boy's hair faded to white the further down it went, colored completely white where it ended at his chin.

"Jonathan Joestar. Pleased to make your acquaintance. Now, can we get this battle started, or do you wish to chuckle at my new clothes again?" He asked, a smirk on his lips.

A loud dinging resounded through the stadium, and everyone's heads turned to look at the source. The two squares that determined the fight's surroundings were spinning.

"The battleground is being decided! What shall it be, I wonder?" Port said over the loudspeaker.

The first square stopped spinning abruptly, revealing a green tree behind a greener background.

"Forest!" Port announced.

Jonathan smirked. _"Lot's of life in those trees and plant life."_ He mused as he remembered his battle against Tyrian, the scorpion Faunus. The second square stopped spinning, revealing the brown outline of a rock with a brown background.

"Mountain! The battleground is set, now prepare to battle!" Port said loudly. In response, teams JNPR and BRNZ readied their weapons and glared at each other. Jonathan unsheathed his sword from its spot on his back and held it with both hands. The opponent in front of him, a dark-skinned boy with brown hair held back in a ponytail, regarded the large Englishman coldly with a smirk on his face.

A large screen counted down from three as the eight students prepared to fight.

"Three…Two…ONE! Begin!" Professor Port announced.

"Come on, guys!" Nora said with a grin on her face. As soon as the fight began, the girl on the enemy team bolted for the tree line with her scoped rifle in her hands. May quickly jumped into the nearest tree and scoped in on her opponents.

The two teams sprinted at each other with determined looks on their faces. Pyrrha and Brawnz immediately began facing off, the red-haired warrior blocking the attacks from his bladed gauntlets. Ren and Nora cornered lighter-skinned opponent immediately went on the offensive, attacking him before he could retreat and regroup.

Jonathan was about to attack the one who he'd been facing off with, but suddenly the ground next to him exploded. Or so he thought when he heard something strike the concrete. He evaded to the side, catching a glimpse of the sun reflecting against something in the trees.

" _It must be that girl on their team!"_ He thought to himself, remembering the short, beanie wearing girl who'd ran for the forest.

May continued to fire round after round at team JNPR, distracting them long enough for her team to get the upper hand. Jonathan quickly glanced between his team, the mountain behind him, and the forest. He knew he couldn't neutralize the female opponent from where he was at, and his team was in trouble the longer they were in the open. JoJo looked back again and saw a long, large rock that he and his allies could easily hide behind.

"Retreat to the mountain!" Jonathan shouted and pointed to the rock he'd spotted. Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren quickly ran for where JoJo pointed, Pyrrha covering their backsides with her shield. Jonathan deflected an incoming Dust round with his sword, then ran after his team.

Once all four of them were safe behind the rocks, Pyrrha peeked over from where she hid and looked at the three enemies running towards them.

"What do we do?" She asked her team. She'd usually depend on Jaune for orders, but with him out of commission, the four of them were leaderless.

Jonathan looked over the rocks as well, searching for the scope glare he'd spotted before. Once he found it, he turned back to his three allies with a determined glint in his blue eyes. "Spread out and keep their focus on you, no matter what you have to do. There's a sniper located in those trees, and if we don't take her out, there's no way we can safely fight out in the open."

"What if we _didn't_ fight in the open?" Nora asked.

"Nora, this isn't the time for joking." Ren sighed, lowering his pistols momentarily.

"Jonathan, you think you could take her out?" Pyrrha asked.

"Maybe, but we shouldn't spread out that far. Once these three get within range, we should attack. But don't forget there's someone shooting from a distance! We can't afford to lose anyone when they have this much of an advantage." JoJo advised.

"But guys!" Nora said.

"What is it, Nora?" Jonathan asked.

"What if we _didn't fight out in the open?"_ she told him. After a moment of brief confusion, Jonathan's eyes widened in realization.

"You want to take the fight to the forest?" JoJo asked.

"Exactly!" Nora responded. Jonathan put his hand to his chin in thought. "It's not a bad idea, but it would be difficult to get from here to there without casualties. For now, let's fight here. Then, we'll see about getting to the forest." The Joestar said to the hammer wielder. Nora grinned in response and crossed her arms, "Not so ridiculous now, eh Ren?"

In that moment, the tan-skinned leader of the team, Brawnz, leapt over the boulder that they hid behind and kicked Pyrrha in the side. Pyrrha dodged backwards and raised her shield to defend herself. Without hesitation, Jonathan grabbed the opponent by the leg and swung him face-first into the boulder. He groaned at the pain and quickly regained his footing, going back on the offensive against the bulky Englishman.

Nora and Ren jumped over the boulder and began to attack the other two opponents. After the two orphans split up and faced down the two on the enemy team, the one facing Ren looked over his shoulder and nodded. Ren's eyes widened, then a Dust round immediately shot towards him. The pink-eyed boy dodged quickly and faced and raised his pistols, but the previously forgotten enemy hit Ren in the chest with his baton, then a blue electricity emitted from the weapon and into Ren.

The ninja's eyes widened and his hair stood on end as the electricity coursed through him, then he promptly fell onto his back from the pain, smoke coming off of him.

"Ren!" Nora exclaimed and hit aside her current opponent, then charged the boy that shocked Ren. She swung at him with her large hammer, but he dodged the blows or blocked them with his relatively small baton. Then, Nora leapt towards him in an overhead swing, bringing her hammer down as hard as she could. But Nolan dodged it! He then brought up his shock baton and pressed the tip against Nora's stomach.

Jonathan glanced at the unfolding scene. Once he saw the shock baton pressed against Nora and the electricity going into her, his eyes widened in, ahem, shock. He knew full well what happened when electricity came into contact with electricity.

Nora looked up at her opponent with a malicious smile on her face.

"OHO! It looks like one of my _favorite_ students, Nora Valkyrie, is **charging** up her semblance!" Professor Port's voice boomed, a live recording of him and Oobleck displayed on a large screen.

"Wait, what?" Nolan's eyes widened.

"Yes! Miss Valkyrie's semblance allows her to produce, as well as channel, electrical currents throughout her body! It leads straight to her muscles, which allows her to jump explosively into the air and wield her mighty hammer! Or in this case, absorb Nolan's attack and send the young man flying!" Doctor Oobleck explained.

"WHAT?!" Nolan exclaimed. The poor boy tried to raise his hands in surrender as pink lightning enveloped Nora's arms and legs. She immediately charged forward and hit Nolan in the chest with her hammer, sending the boy rocketing out of the arena and face-first into the forcefield that protected the audience, then promptly slid down it and into the "out" zone. As soon as she did this, dark clouds formed above the mountain that jutted into the sky, and Jonathan got an idea.

"Nora! Get to the top of that mountain!" He pointed at the mountain with his gloved hand. Once she saw the reason why he made such an order, Nora grinned and gave the Joestar a two-fingered salute before dashing off. JoJo then turned to Pyrrha, who was fighting the remaining two boys by herself, and was about to run to her aid, but a Dust round hit the ground in front of him, preventing him from doing so. The gentleman of the Joestar family gritted his teeth. He wouldn't be allowed to help his team.

He turned and found Ren, who was hiding behind a large boulder.

"Ren! Do you think you could distract that sniper? I have to help Pyrrha!" He shouted at him.

"Sure. Why not?" Ren said to himself sarcastically, then dashed towards the trees, firing his pistols in the direction of May.

Jonathan took his chance and ran towards the spartan girl with his fists clenched tightly.

Pyrrha deflected one of Roy's bizarre weapons that he'd thrown at her. The boy used a pair of bronze sawblades as his primary weapons, a fact that the celebrity of team JNPR found odd. Once she blocked the projectile, Pyrrha used her sword to knock aside his second sawblade, then slice at him has quickly as she could. While she was preoccupied, Brawnz snuck around behind her with his fists raised, then jumped at her, poised to attack. Or he would have, if Jonathan hadn't grabbed him by the back of the shirt just as his feet left the ground.

"Wha-?!" Brawnz exclaimed as he was pulled back to face the six-foot-five Englishman.

"Hello there! You might remember me; my name is Jonathan." JoJo smiled kindly and put rested his muscled arm on Brawnz's shoulder.

"Uh…" the black-haired boy responded nervously.

"Now, I don't know if you know this, but it's very un-gentlemanly to fight two-on-one, especially when your opponent is a lady. And it was also rude to laugh at my new clothes! I paid a good a lot of poun- er, Lien to buy this, and I think it suits me, to be frank! I can forgive you for that, but what I'm not going to forgive you for is double-teaming on my friend over there, no matter how outclassed you two are." Jonathan said politely, and Brawnz glanced over to see his teammate, Roy, having a much more difficult time now that he wasn't fighting.

Jonathan patted Brawnz on the shoulder after he removed his arm. "So! Now, I think I'll hit you with a healthy dose of Hamon and get you out of the way."

Brawnz gritted his teeth at the Joestar's words and threw his fist at him angrily. Jonathan smirked and caught it easily, then uppercut the boy with his fist sparking with Hamon. Brawnz's eyes widened as he was sent into the air, his feet two feet off the ground. Seeing that his opponent was in the perfect punching position, JoJo grinned and got into a boxing stance instantly.

" **Kooooooh! Scarlet Overdrive!"** JoJo shouted, his fists radiating with red Hamon that looked like flames. Before gravity could take effect on Brawnz, Jonathan delivered a barrage of punches to the boy's torso, keeping him in midair. Brawnz's aura failed and flickered out within seconds. Noticing this, JoJo delivered one final blow to the opponent, filling his body with burning Hamon as he was sent into the air before falling onto the ground.

"Oh! And team BRNZ's team leader is out! That only leaves May and Roy to try and take the win!" Professor Port announced. By that time, Ren had already reached the tree that May stood in. The ninja ran up the tree and prepared for hand-to-hand combat. May, seeing Ren approaching her, leapt to the next tree and aimed her rifle at the green-clad boy. Ren landed on the branch and turned to find the enemy's sniper rifle pointed at his chest. May smirked and quickly bolted her rifle, "See ya." Then she fired.

Ren took the round directly into the chest, then fell out of the tree. As soon as his back collided with the ground, his pink aura failed.

"And Ren from team JNPR is out! That sniper rifle proved to be more than enough for the boy's aura at close range." Doctor Oobleck commented. Ren groaned angrily and slammed his fist into the dirt.

May smirked, then scoped back in on the battle. Roy was proving to be a challenge for the battle-exhausted Pyrrha and Jonathan was running towards the two's battle. After letting another high-velocity round from her trusty sniper rifle, Pyrrha stumbled and Roy got the opportunity he needed. While the spartan's aura absorbed the damage, it still brought her on-screen aura level dangerously low.

Seeing what the sniper's bullet had caused, Jonathan turned his head to the forest, then his other teammate. Nora Valkyrie had just reached the top of the mountain, raising her massive hammer with one hand and allowing a bolt of lightning to strike it and course into her. Nora grinned wildly and spun her hammer, transforming it into its grenade launcher form. The Valkyrie then closed one eye and aimed her weapon at the tree line, raising it up slightly to accommodate for the bullet drop, or in this case, grenade drop.

She opened her closed eye and grinned as she squeezed the trigger. The grenade launcher sent a dozen grenades screaming towards May, the explosives flying in a way that created a giant heart formation.

At the mere sight of the grenades, May's jaw dropped and her weapon fell from her hands, then the grenades hit her.

The forest exploded, splintering trees and sending broken branches flying. May had just barely avoided the initial explosion, and JoJo saw her land on a lower branch.

Roy turned around to find Nora Valkyrie flying towards him, her hammer raised to attack. The boy dodged backwards and gritted his teeth. Once he raised his weapon to defend himself against the three remaining members of team JNPR, his ally May appeared beside him.

In the stands, Jaune stood and cupped his hands around his mouth from beside team RWBY. "Use the team attacks!" He shouted at his team, gaining some questioning glances from RWBY and other spectators around him.

"What?" Pyrrha called back.

Jaune sighed, "The team attacks! Y'know, we practiced them! Like Flower Power!"

"What's a 'flower power'?" Jonathan asked, looking at Nora, who shrugged in response.

"What?" Pyrrha called again.

"THE TEAM ATTACK NAMES WE PRACTICED! FLOWER POWER IS REN AND NORA!" Jaune yelled, growing impatient.

"Uh, Ren got knocked out." Ruby whispered to her sister.

"I don't think he cares right this second, Rubes." Yang replied.

"What?" Jonathan called back, cupping his hands like Jaune did.

Jaune only sighed and returned to his seat. He'd begun to feel better halfway through the match, but it was already far past the time to step in and take his original place.

"Hey!" Roy interjected.

"What is it?" JoJo turned to him.

"We're in the middle of a fight!" He responded.

"And _we_ are desperately trying to communicate with our friend, thank you very much." Jonathan replied.

"Uh, JoJo, I think he means we're _all_ in the middle of a fight." Pyrrha gestured to the audience.

Jonathan looked to Pyrrha, but the girl only shrugged in response. JoJo sighed and looked back at Nora. "Just finish this up, Nora."

Nora grinned evilly. "Got it."

Roy's and May's eyes went wide. They'd seen what happened to Nolan.

"Wait, wha-?" Was all May could utter before Nora slammed her hammer into both of them, sending them flying much like she did to their teammate.

"And with _that,_ it appears team JNPR wins by knockout. Literally." Professor Port announced. "Can someone go make sure they're okay?"

. . .

In a distant bar in the middle of Vale, Qrow sat with a short glass of brown liquor in his hand as he watched the fight come to a close. He smirked at the footage of Jonathan laughing and patting a very tired-looking Ren on the back, smacking the poor ninja to the ground. A look of alarm spread on the Englishman's face and he went to help Ren to his feet.

"Huh. Those kids weren't half bad." The bartender commented as she wiped a glass with a rag.

"Meh, they're alright. It's good to see the kid competing." Qrow shrugged and took a sip from his glass.

"Who, the tall one with the blue hair?" The bartender asked.

"That's the one. That kid packs a punch, lemme tell ya. It'd be no easy feat to take him down in one of these fights." Qrow replied, then finished his drink and slid it to the bartender.

"We'll see, eh?" The man said as he refilled the whiskey glass.

. . .

"It looks like Sun and his team are next!" Jonathan smiled as he sat next to Yang and watched the four members of team SSSN walk out onto the battleground.

"Yep! Can't wait to see how they handle these four." Yang replied, looking over at the muscled Joestar. "Good job on your fight by the way. And uh, if you don't mind me asking, where'd you get that outfit?"

JoJo looked at her warily. "Why? Would you like to laugh at it as well?" he asked, remembering Brawnz.

"Jonathan, if you were _literally_ anyone else, I'd be on the floor laughing because no one, and I mean no one, wears clothes like that anymore." Yang said.

Jonathan raised an eyebrow at her words. "But?"

" _But,_ given your rather flamboyant personality _and_ fighting style, those clothes suit you just fine." Yang smiled, lifting JoJo's spirit and bringing a small smile to his face.

"Besides," Yang added. "I think you look rather dashing wearing that." She smiled and placed a hand on the English flag on his arm.

"Good luck, Neptune!" Weiss called to her crush. Neptune waved back, then turned to his team's opponents. "Ladies." He winked at them.

"Uh oh." Blake commented. Weiss balled her fists and gritted her teeth, then pointed at the blue-haired trident wielder. "Break his stupid face, NDGO!"

"Well that was unexpected." Jonathan commented.

"Eh whatever, let's just watch the fight!" Yang grinned.

. . .

After one SSSN vs NDGO later…

"And with that, team SSSN moves on to the doubles round? You know what I call that victory?" Professor Port asked.

"Shocking?" Oobleck responded.

"No. Well earned. What you said is dumb." Port replied.

Meanwhile, team RWBY, JNPR, and JoJo were laughing at the comical fight they had just witnessed.

"That was great!" Ruby laughed, and a thought came to her head. "Y'know Jaune, judging by just how well JoJo did in your absence, he could replace you full time in JNPR and the name would stay the same. No one would even know!"

"Just what are you sayin' Ruby?" Jaune's eyes narrowed.

"Your names both start with J! He could be your replacement." Ruby continued, and the blond knight crossed his arms. Pyrrha smiled at the younger girl's joke and decided to get in on it.

"He _did_ lead us quite well in your absence. JoJo even took up the role as leader to make up for it! And he was quite good at it, too. Besides, what sort of leader doesn't make sure his team knows the names of their attacks?" the red head smirked.

"WE DID PRACTICE THE TEAM ATTACKS!" Jaune said, exasperated.

"Yeah, but they have dumb names." Nora interjected.

"NORA!" Jaune turned to her.

The nine of them, excluding Jaune, laughed at the knight's predicament heartily.

. . .

"Now that was a match!" the bartender whistled and turned to Qrow.

" _That_ was a mess." Qrow replied.

"Come on, man! You didn't like that fight or any of the others before that. What fight are you here for, anyway?"

A fancy white airship flew by after the bartender asked that, then Qrow downed his glass and tossed a few Lien cards onto the table as he got up. "That one." He said, then turned to exit the bar. "Happy Vytal Festival." Qrow stumbled out of the 'Crow Bar' and walked down the sidewalk towards Beacon.

. . .

"So whaddya say? Ya wanna fight the doubles round with Pyrrha?" Nora asked Jonathan excitedly as they and the rest of JNPR walked through the main courtyard of Beacon.

JoJo laughed and rubbed the back of his neck, "I'm not sure, to be honest. The first round was a lot of fun, but I don't know how I'd fare against the more skilled teams."

"Whaddya mean? You'd do fantastic!" Nora raised her arms to emphasize her point.

"I agree, honestly. You and I made quite the team in that fight, Jonathan." Pyrrha said kindly. Jaune was walking with his arms crossed and looking down dejectedly.

"You may be right, Miss Nikos, but I already feel bad enough about replacing Jaune." JoJo responded, putting a hand on the knight's shoulder. Jaune's expression softened and he uncrossed his arms.

"No, no. It's all right, Jonathan. You can fight the doubles round if you want." Jaune told the tall Englishman. JoJo raised an eyebrow in response to Jaune's reply. "Besides, if you didn't fight with Pyrrha, Nora would." Jaune said.

"He's not wrong." Ren said.

Jonathan smirked and put his arm around Jaune's shoulders, "Well then! You've got yourself a deal, Jauney. You can count on me to be victorious for your team."

"Right." Jaune smiled awkwardly at the Englishman. Pyrrha covered her mouth and chuckled at the sight.

"I wonder who the fight will be against." Nora thought aloud and held her chin with her right hand.

"There's no telling, but I'm sure it'll be an interesting one." Pyrrha responded.

Unbeknownst to the five students, a certain alcoholic with styled hair and a voice similar to that of Edward Elric (although no one knew who that was) was squaring off against Weiss's older sister, Winter Schnee.

"So what do we do now? I mean, we have a whole rest of the day before the next battles tomorrow." Jaune asked. Nora shrugged and continued to walk childishly, swinging her arms in tandem with the steps she takes.

The sudden sounds of weapons clashing caused the five to turn their heads behind them, watching as other students ran to form a large circle around the source of the noise.

"What is that?" Ren asked.

"I dunno. Let's find out!" Nora replied, then dashed towards the still-forming circle. Jaune and Jonathan shrugged, then ran after the energetic hammer wielder, with Ren and Pyrrha following behind them.

. . .

"What is that?" Ruby asked as she appeared beside Weiss.

"Some crazy guy is attacking my sister!" The heiress responded.

"Oh, no! Who would do such a thi- THAT IS MY UNCLE!" Ruby exclaimed with an exceptionally excited look on her face.

"What?" Jonathan asked as he pushed through the crowd to stand beside Ruby and Weiss.

"KICK HER BUTT, UNCLE QROW!" Ruby cheered loudly, raising her clenched fist in front of her.

"Uh- teach him respect, Winter!" Weiss said to her sister.

Jonathan grinned at the sight of the man who saved him in the forest of Patch, fighting some woman who looked like Weiss.

The hunter and huntress attacked each other ferociously, blocking and parrying the other's blows expertly. They moved so fast that JoJo had trouble keeping up with the two. One second, they were on one side of the square, then the next they were several dozen feet away. Qrow's massive sword repeatedly collided with Winter's smaller one, but Winter more than made up for it with speed that rivalled Qrow's.

"They're so fast…!" Jonathan said with wide eyes as Winter summoned a large, white glyph, using it to launch herself into the air just as Qrow slammed the concrete at her feet, creating a large crater in the ground. Then, the fight continued as it normally would, with Qrow and Winter firing shots at each other and destroying school property to attack one another. But what no one noticed was a very alarmed looking Mercury Black running away from the fight to report the occurrence to his superior. **(2)**

"Schnee!" a voice shouted just as Winter was in the middle of a particularly powerful attack. Winter's eyes widened and immediately halted, mere feet away from Qrow. The older sister of the Schnee family scowled and looked behind her to find General Ironwood glaring at her with his hands rested behind his back.

"General Ironwood, sir!" Winter turned and stood at attention. Behind the general, a short girl with orange hair and green eyes stood with a curious expression on her face.

Jonathan's eyes widened slightly as he recognized her. "That girl…" He thought aloud.

"You mean Penny?" Ruby asked, glancing at the Joestar.

"That's her name? I saw her at the dance months ago, but I don't know her." JoJo explained.

"Heh, yeah. She's a…special case." Ruby said as she rubbed the back of her neck. Jonathan raised an eyebrow at the short girl's implication, but she quickly realized what she said and waved her hands in front of her.

"No, no I didn't mean anything bad! Just…I'll have to explain later." Ruby said, remembering in the back of her mind that Penny had made her promise to not tell anyone. But telling one eensie-weensie person wouldn't hurt, right?

"Whatever you say, miss Rose." JoJo shrugged and returned his attention to the unfolding scene before them.

"And you." Ironwood glared at Qrow, who widened his eyes and pointed to his own chest as if he were asking, _"Who, me?"_

"What are _you_ doing here?" James asked.

"I could be asking you the same thing." Qrow replied.

"I-" Ironwood began.

"Now, now everyone. There is a sanctioned fight happening just around the corner at the colosseum that I can assure has better seats. And popcorn." Professor Ozpin said out of nowhere.

"Break it up, everyone! We will take care of this mess." Professor Goodwitch stepped forward, waving her riding crop. James Ironwood adjusted his tie and glanced at Winter. "Let's go." He said, then he and Winter Schnee walked to join the professor.

Ruby, Weiss, and Jonathan rushed forward once the Atlesian general, special forces officer, and androids walked in the opposite direction. The girl that JoJo now knew as Penny turned to wave at the three, though it was obvious that her focus was on Ruby. Ruby immediately waved back, then jumped onto Qrow's arm and squealed, "Uncle Qroooooow! Hi. Oh, it's so good to see you! Did you miss me? DID YA MISS ME?!"

Qrow regarded the girl with a frown, then smirked and ruffled her hair. "Nope."

"Long time, no see, Qrow!" Jonathan smiled kindly and clapped the slender man on the back, nearly knocking him over.

"Oof! Jeez kid, I see you haven't lost any of that strength." He joked.

"Qrow!" Professor Ozpin called. "A word, if you wouldn't mind."

Qrow leaned closer to his niece and spoke in a hushed tone, "I think I'm in trouble."

"You did kinda tear up our courtyard." Ruby shrugged.

"Yeah, I did. Catch you on the flipside, Ace." The hunter gave Ruby a fist bump and walked towards Ozpin.

"Mister Joestar, would you please come as well? This involves your 'situation'." Ozpin said calmly to JoJo. Jonathan only nodded in response and waved to Ruby and Weiss as he jogged to catch up with Qrow.

"What is all this about?" Jonathan asked his friend.

"No idea kid, but it's better if we go along with it, eh?" Qrow replied. With a slight nod, JoJo continued to follow Qrow and Ozpin towards Beacon Tower.

"Um, by the way kid, what's with the get up?" Qrow asked Jonathan with a raised eyebrow.

Jonathan gave a small smile in response and put his hand in front of his face in one of his signature poses. "It's just an outfit I picked up from Vale. Dashing, eh?"

Qrow's eyes widened, then he chuckled at the Joestar. "That's one way to describe it."

. . .

The elevator doors to Professor Ozpin's office slid open to reveal General Ironwood and Winter Schnee, the latter pacing in front of Ozpin's desk as if she were agitated. Qrow gave a sly smirk at the sight of Winter, and her scowl immediately deepened. "What were you _thinking?"_ She demanded angrily. General Ironwood stepped forward and raised his hand, clenching his fist. "If you were one of my men, I'd have you shot!"

Qrow stepped out of the elevator and pulled a silver flask out of his back pocket. "If I was one of your men, I'd shoot myself." Jonathan blinked as he, Ozpin, and Professor Goodwitch stepped out of the elevator behind Qrow.

"His actions may not have been the wisest decision, but it most definitely didn't help that Miss Schnee here attacked him like that." Jonathan narrowed his eyes.

Ironwood and Winter turned to look at the Joestar quizzically, puzzled expressions on their faces. "Ozpin…Is this the 'special' student you told me of?" Ironwood asked, looking up slightly to meet Jonathan's eyes.

"Indeed. James, this is Jonathan Joestar. And he has a little problem." Ozpin replied. "I remember, Oz. So, Mr. Joestar. I'm told you've been brought from another world." Ironwood said, relaxing his posture slightly. JoJo's eyes widened and the Englishman turned to look at the headmaster questioningly.

' _If he's told these two of my 'situation', who else has he told?'_ Jonathan wondered.

"Fret not, Jonathan. General Ironwood is one of my most trusted allies. You can trust him as well." Ozpin said, as if reading Jonathan's mind.

' _Yeah, but what about the other one?'_

The five of them turned to look at Qrow when they heard the sound of audible glugging of alcohol. Qrow's eyes widened and he slowly stashed the flask into his back pocket. Professor Ozpin sighed as he sat at his desk. "What are you even doing here, Qrow?"

"You've been out of contact for weeks! You can't just go dark like that in the field then show up out of nowhere." Ironwood added.

"I'm not one of your special operatives, _Jimmy._ You sent me to get intel on our enemies, and I'm telling you the enemy is here." Qrow retorted, causing JoJo's eyes to widen slightly in response.

"Wait, enemies? Isn't Remnant in a time of peace?" Jonathan asked. Ignoring the Joestar's question, James leaned onto Ozpin's desk and crossed his arms. "We know."

"Oh, you know? Well _excuse_ me for putting my life on the line to keep you all informed!" Qrow said angrily.

"Qrow!" Ironwood sighed. Jonathan could only watch the altercation happen with wide eyes. He didn't understand what was supposedly happening, but if they ignored one of his questions, they'd surely ignore another.

"Communication's a two-way street, pal. You see this? That's the 'send' button!" Qrow said as he held up his scroll to emphasize his point.

"They had reason to assume you'd been compromised." Winter stepped in.

"And _I_ have reason to assume you don't need to be here." Qrow replied without hesitation.

"All right, that's enough! I demand to know what's going on here. If the citizens are in some sort of danger, they deserve to know about it! Or we could get to stopping whatever enemies are supposedly here instead of standing around bickering!" Jonathan stepped in, waving his arm to accentuate his point.

Ironwood sighed and closed his eyes momentarily. "Miss Schnee, we'll discuss this back on my ship." Winter's eyes widened and her posture became rigid, "But sir…!"

"Winter, leave." James said bluntly, and a scowl appeared on the Schnee's face. She walked towards the elevator, glaring at Qrow as she passed him. Qrow, being Qrow, winked Winter with a smirk on his lips.

"Jonathan, understand that this is a dire situation we are discussing here. We'll do our best to inform you of it once Qrow is finished. There's a reason I've asked to be here with us." Ozpin explained calmly. Jonathan straightened his posture and nodded to the headmaster. With a quick look to Qrow, the drunkard continued.

"Your infiltrator isn't just another pawn. They're the one responsible for Autumn's condition." Qrow explained.

"What?!" Glynda's eyes widened.

After another swig from his flask, Qrow turned to the silver-haired headmaster. "Despite what the world thinks, we're not just teachers or generals or headmasters. The people in this room, the leaders of the two academies, we're the ones who keep the world safe from the evils no one even knows about. It's why we meet behind closed doors, why we work in the shadows. So you tell me James, when you brought your army to Vale, did you think you were being discreet or did you just not give a damn?" Qrow asked, staring Ironwood in the eyes at his last sentence.

James sighed and placed his scroll on Ozpin's desk. "Discreet wasn't working. I'm here because this is what was necessary." He said, several blue holograms appearing directly behind Jonathan.

"You're here because Oz _wanted_ you here!" Qrow rebutted.

Jonathan quickly turned around, his eyes scanning over the hologram of Vale and the large airships flying above it.

"He made you a part of this inner circle and opened your eyes to the real fight that's right in front of us." Qrow continued.

"And I am grateful." Ironwood said.

"Oh well, you've got a real funny way of showing it." Qrow responded.

"The people of Vale needed someone to protect them, someone who would act." James pressed on.

"JoJo, to answer your earlier question about telling the people about the possibility of them being in danger? _This_ is why." Qrow gestured to the military airships out of the large window. "You know what Grimm are drawn to, correct?"

JoJo nodded earnestly, "Negative emotions, such as depression, anguish, and general fear."

"Correct. When the population sees a ton of Atlas airships in the sky, they get nervous. They get nervous because when they see such a large military force, they're smart enough to realize that there's a _reason_ it's there." Qrow replied.

Jonathan nodded and crossed his arms, his back arched and making him appear as if he were posing. "I understand. With such a large amount of people getting antsy, more and more Grimm get drawn in."

"Exactly, kid. _That's_ why it's a bad idea for Jimmy here to bring his _entire fleet with him."_ Qrow said.

James scoffed, saying under his breath, " 'Entire' military force, my ass."

"The more fear, the more Grimm. A guardian is a symbol of comfort, but an army is a symbol of conflict. There' an energy in the air now, a question in the back of everyone's minds: if this is the size of our defenses, what is it we're expecting to fight?" Ozpin said as he stood.

After three solid heartbeats, General Ironwood sighed and removed his scroll from the desk. "So then, what do you suggest we do?"

"I suggest we find our guardian." Ozpin replied, glancing at Jonathan. "Mr. Joestar, I'm terribly sorry. I'm sure you're full of questions. I think it's time we explained the situation to him, seeing as he's in this 'circle' now too."

Jonathan's eyes widened slightly, then he nodded.

. . .

By the end of their explanation regarding Salem and her forces, Jonathan Joestar was holding the sides of his face with an alarmed expression, his eyes staring at the floor.

"…You okay kid?" Qrow asked.

"I've heard the story of the four maidens from Ruby and the others, but to think that such a tale would be real… Along with this Salem woman? It's…almost too much to take in." Jonathan responded, then another question entered his mind. The Joestar looked up to meet Professor Ozpin's aged eyes. "Why are you telling me this? If this 'secret circle' is so important and, well, secret, why let me, an outsider, in on it?"

"Simple, Mr. Joestar. She _brought_ you here. I don't know why or how, but there's a reason you're with us on Remnant. For all we know, you could be a ploy used against us along with this so-called infiltrator in the school." Ozpin replied, then Qrow stepped forward, prepared to defend Jonathan as an ally. _"But._ Qrow has assured me long ago that you can be trusted, so I'm inclined to believe him."

Qrow exhaled and looked to Jonathan, who's eyes were wide as he absorbed the information that the headmaster was giving him.

"And don't think we've forgotten about trying to get you home. I apologize that you've had to wait so long, but I, in all my knowledge of Remnant and its legends, have no idea how Salem was able to reach into another world and bring you here." Ozpin said solemnly.

JoJo looked down in response to the headmaster's words. He may not have talked about it with anyone, especially since not even his closest friends knew of his origins, but the Joestar severely missed his allies back home. Especially his deceased father, Robert Speedwagon, Zeppeli, and…Erina. He had no idea how the battle against Dio went without him, and he had been beginning to fear that he'd never find out.

' _Maybe I won't get the chance to see any of them at all…'_ JoJo thought to himself. Without him realizing it, a single tear had formed in the Englishman's eye and trailed down his cheek.

"Don't worry, kid. We'll find you a way home. I promise it." Qrow said reassuringly and placed a hand on Jonathan's shoulder. JoJo wiped the tear away and looked up at the shorter man with a grateful smile on his face. "Thanks, Qrow."

Ozpin's expression softened, and even Glynda and Ironwood felt sympathetic towards the young Joestar. To be taken from your world and thrown into a completely foreign one with no promise of a way home to your friends and family… That was a truly terrifying thought indeed.

"We're trying our best, Jonathan. Meanwhile, focus on what you have here. You've made good friends with the students in Beacon, continue your studies with them until I can guarantee you a way back to… What was your planet's name again?" Ozpin said.

Jonathan blinked and stood straighter, "Earth. Its name is Earth."

"Right. Well, you are free to leave whenever you like. I'm sure we've given you plenty to think on." Ozpin told him.

Jonathan nodded and turned to walk towards the elevator, but not before giving Qrow a meaningful glance and putting his hand on his friend's shoulder as he passed him. "By the way, thank you for the gift, Qrow. It's come in handy lately.

"Don't mention it. Just put it to good use, eh?" Qrow smirked and nudged Jonathan with his elbow.

Jonathan gave a small smile and nodded.

See ya around, kid." Qrow said as he watched him enter the elevator.

"Goodbye, Jonathan. And happy Vytal Festival." General Ironwood told the tall Englishman. JoJo nodded at the general just as the doors slid closed, and with that, Jonathan Joestar made his leave.

"Are you sure that was the wisest decision, telling him about _**her**_ _?"_ Glynda asked.

"He already knew of her existence since his first day here. The boy's already waited months to know more, Glynda. This was a good move, trust me." Ozpin replied.

"He's a good kid, Oz." Qrow said with crossed arms, leaning against the nearest wall.

"I know, Qrow. I can tell just by being in the same room as him. This young man has a very promising future here, if he is around long enough when we take the fight to **her."** Ozpin replied.

"You still think he's our ace in the hole against them?" Ironwood asked.

"Maybe. He still needs more training, and perhaps if he **awakened** his true abilities…" Ozpin said, lacing his fingers together and resting his elbows on his desk. General Ironwood's eyes widened slightly in response, "You mean he's been fighting here without an aura? I saw his fight in the tournament today. If he could excel against trained students and leave unscathed…there's no telling what could happen with his aura."

" _If_ he can attain an aura." Glynda put in.

"What do you mean?" Qrow asked the blonde professor.

"Jonathan isn't from our world. There's no telling if he can use his aura and semblance, much less unlock them. It's slim that he physically has the _ability_ to have an aura." Glynda told him.

"An aura and semblance are attained with one's soul. With a soul as courageous and pure as that of Jonathan Joestar, it would be surprising if he _couldn't_ unlock his aura." Ozpin added in.

"That's true. What do we do?" Qrow asked.

"We wait. What do you think the purpose of him entering the tournament was? I intended for him to improve his skills against huntsmen and unlock any latent abilities within him." Ozpin explained, and the others nodded in understanding.

"So we wait, and watch." Qrow said, then began to head for the elevator. Top of Form

"Now where are you going?" Glynda asked, crossing her arms.

"Where do ya think? I'm here at Beacon, and haven't seen either of my nieces in ages. I'm going to pay them a visit." Qrow answered as he pressed the 'call' button on the elevator.

. . .

"So everything is going to plan?" Doctor Watts asked from the long table he sat at.

"Indeed. According to Cinder's report, it's just a few days until everything comes to fruition. Although, the fact that she hasn't yet found the **outsider** from **Earth** yet _infuriates_ me to no end. That girl has had months to locate and eliminate him, and she hasn't even discovered his name." Salem responded from her dark throne.

"That _girl_ shouldn't have been assigned this, anyway. Mistress, if you would send me-" Watts began.

"NO." Salem's red eyes glowed in the dim, stone room. "You forget your place, Watts. Your place isn't to question my orders; it is to _obey_ them. Cinder was the best person for this assignment, period. While you may have been able to discover the off-worlder's identity, you would have been found out immediately by Ozpin and his underlings."

Watts bit back a curse, then sighed. "Yes, Mistress."

"Besides, the poor fool will most likely lose his life in the upcoming battle." Salem smiled maliciously in the darkness of her castle.

. . .

Robert Speedwagon was running for his life away from a group of thirteen zombies. How he'd survived for so long alone, he had no idea. The battle against Dio months ago was still fresh on the dapper man's mind.

" _Zombies, attack!" Dio snapped his fingers after Jonathan disappeared in a flash of purple light. Instantly, the floor filled with blood thirsty zombies, surrounding Speedwagon and the Hamon users. With Dire already defeated, Straits and Tonpetty were the only ones who stood an actual chance against the zombie horde._

" _There's too many of them!" Speedwagon shouted as he slammed his sledgehammer into a zombie, bashing its skull in and killing it instantly._

 _The Hamon users were the biggest threat, so the zombies homed in on them without hesitation, and ignoring Speedwagon._

 _Speedwagon's eyes widened while Dio laughed maniacally as his zombies surrounded Straits and Tonpetty._

" _Just keep fighting! We can do thi- GURGHK!" Straits yelled out in pain as a zombie bit into his throat._

" _Straits!" Speedwagon exclaimed, beginning to run to the young man's aid._

" _Speedwagon, don't! They're focused on us! There's too many of them like you said, so get out of here! Save yourself, and find a way to get our revenge on this evil being!" Straits choked out._

" _He's right! There's no hope for us without JoJo or Dire!" Tonpetty added in after he disintegrated a particularly fat zombie with Hamon._

" _But-!" Speedwagon exclaimed._

" _Get out of here!" Tonpetty screamed._

" _Oh no, you don't!" Dio growled, his eyes turning to slits. Speedwagon's eyes widened, and he made a run for it-straight for the edge of the castle!_

 _Just as he leapt over the railing and into the abyss, Dio's heated eye fluid let loose, narrowly missing Speedwagon's back by mere inches._

" _AAAAAGGHHHHHH!" Robert Speedwagon screamed as he fell hundreds of feet down._

' _M-my hammer!' the dapper man thought to himself, then with all his might, slammed his sledgehammer into the cliff wall, embedding the weapon in the rock and instantly halting his freefall._

 _Speedwagon panted heavily as he looked downwards._

' _ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!' He mentally screamed, then lowered his foot down, and touched the grassy ground and released his grip on the hammer. He'd stopped himself a mere five feet from the ground! Without hesitation, Robert yanked the hammer free from the cliff wall and sprinted away from the castle, back towards the small town of Wind Knight's Lot._

' _I have to get back, have to warn them of the incoming threat!' He'd told himself. Now, months later, Dio's zombies had taken over England and were moving towards Scotland, then, the rest of Europe. How Dio was going to organize his army onto ships to leave the island of England, he had no idea. All he knew was that he had to try and convince others to join him in his battle against the immortal being._

' _JoJo, where have you gone?!' Speedwagon asked himself as he hid behind a low wall, his chest heaving._

 _. . ._

Jonathan Joestar was laying on his bed with his arms rested behind his head, trying to discern exactly what Ozpin had told him. _'The queen known as Salem, the four maidens, an infiltrator in the school, and the possibility that I'd never return to Earth… This is way too much information for one day!'_ He thought to himself, his eyes shut tightly.

The sound of something vibrating shook him from his thoughts, and his eyes shot open to see his scroll buzzing on the desk beside him. JoJo reached over and picked the small object up, his eyes scanning the brightly lit screen. A picture of Sun Wukong's smiling face resided on the scroll, and Jonathan had to make an effort to answer the call. Several months of staying in Beacon, and he could still barely operate the advanced technology.

"Yo, JoJo! You gotta come check this out! Coco and Yatsuhashi are squaring off against these two other students, and it's sick! Get to the colosseum now!" The monkey Faunus said excitedly.

Jonathan raised an eyebrow, but grinned at the blonde's enthusiasm. "I'll be right there, Sun!"

"You might wanna hurry! By the looks of it, it's gonna be a quick fight!" Sun replied.

JoJo immediately got out of bed and sprinted out of his dorm, running towards the airships. "I'm on my way, Sun!"

"Annnd it's over! In mere minutes. Man, Coco and 'Hashi got wiped! You should still come by, though. Scarlet and Sage really wanna meet the guy who stepped in for Jaune!" Sun said, never losing enthusiasm.

Although he was disappointed he missed the fight, JoJo grinned and continued on his way out of the dormitories.

"At the colosseum, or…?" Jonathan asked.

After some brief mumbling from Sun's end, the Joestar got his answer.

"Nah, meet us in Vale! The shopping district. The guys wanna pick up some new clothes to look cool in during our next fight." Sun answered. JoJo grinned at the thought of getting some new clothes of his own. Afterall, he'd be needing more for his wardrobe if he wanted to make a good impression on the crowd!

"Definitely! See you fine fellows there." Jonathan smiled as he hung up.

"…Fine fellows?" Neptune asked after JoJo ended the call.

"Whatever, man. He's foreign, leave em alone." Sun shrugged.

 _ **I finally continued writing this, and I'm finally getting around to adding my own flair to the story instead of literally just reiterating the actual story but with Jonathan tagging along. Hopefully you fine people enjoy that more instead of word for word to the actual RWBY. Also, as you can see, I've hinted at Jonathan unlocking his aura, but I have a problem: I can't decide if I want him to have an aura and semblance, a Stand, or just stick with Hamon, cause, well Hamon is badass.**_

 _ **For JoJo's outfit in the tournament battle, I gave him one of his outfits from the chapter art for Part 1. Y'know how Araki draws the protags wearing flashy and flamboyant outfits that he designed himself? Jonathan will wear most of his own cause they're all so badass and cool looking that I won't let this opportunity go to waste. Cool idea?**_

 _ **I'm sure you've also noticed that I've decided to not go into detail on fights that will have the exact same outcome as they would in the show. I'm gonna do that to save myself time if that's cool with everyone, because lemme tell ya, it get's tedious to write out and describe the exact same fight that happens in the show. I began this particular thing while writing the RWBY vs. Torchwick in Atlas prototype fight. If you guys remember, I pretty much skipped from when Torchwick falls off the bridge straight to when Yang destroys the thing. I'm sure many of my readers were disappointed that Jonathan didn't obliterate it himself with a Sunlight Yellow Overdrive or something, but fret not! I'll use my creativity to the best of my ability from here on out!**_

 _ **See you fellas next chapter! Hint: Jonathan and Pyrrha vs. a pair of people that I haven't decided on yet! (Sorry)**_

 _ **(P.S. not sorry)**_

Bottom of Form


	10. Chapter 10: The Vytal Festival Part 2

"How's it look…?" Jonathan asked as he stepped out of the changing room of a clothes store of Sun's choosing. The five students hadn't yet reached the _**special**_ store that JoJo had gotten his England-themed outfit. Instead, Jonathan and team SSSN were browsing the clothing in Sun's personal favorite store that he 'd learned about from Coco.

"Eh, could be better." Neptune responded. Jonathan was currently dressed in a Hawaiian-style button up shirt with khaki cargo shorts and a pair of sandals. The shirt was however worn in the same style that Sun wore his shirts: completely unbuttoned and revealing his chest and midriff.

"What was the purpose of this particular outfit again?" JoJo asked, a pair of aviator resting atop his head.

"I told ya, you wanna look good when we're on the beach to get Neptune over his fear of water, right! Besides, _I_ think you look really good in that!" Sun grinned as he checked himself in a nearby mirror, trying to decide between two white, button up shirts.

"Of course _you'd_ think that looks good." Scarlet rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sun turned to the pirate-themed hunter.

"That you have no taste in fashion." Scarlet shot back with a smirk on his lips.

"Coming from the guy who dresses like he sails the seven seas with a hook hand and peg leg." Sun retorted.

Scarlet pointed at the monkey Faunus with a piercing gaze, "I'll have you know I _did_ sail the sea-!"

"Girls, girls! Can you not do this today?" Neptune groaned.

Jonathan and Sage had just been wordlessly watching the conversation, their eyes glancing between Scarlet and Sun.

"Can't we just go to a different store? All the clothes in here are quite literally the exact same but in different colors and patterns." Sage asked.

The five students glanced around and examined the clothing selection further. Sage was in fact telling the truth. All the clothes were short-sleeve button up shirts, shorts, cargo shorts, and sandals. All of which were in every color imaginable with various patterns.

"…My gods, he's right." Neptune's eyes widened slightly.

"This is where you get all your clothes, Sun?" Jonathan asked.

"…Shut it, Joestar." Sun deadpanned.

"I don't see any red sneakers around." Scarlet said.

"That's cause I get them from the _shoe_ store, Scarlet." Sun replied.

"Can we just get out of here now?" Neptune asked again.

. . .

"What's this place you're taking us to?" Sage asked while the five were strolling down the streets of Vale's shopping district.

"This clothing store I discovered last week. It's where I got that outfit I wore during the tournament!" Jonathan replied excitedly. Sun and Neptune glanced at each other in response with concerned looks on their faces.

"Oh yeah?" Scarlet asked.

Upon meeting the red headed member of team SSSN, Jonathan had immediately taken a liking to him. Mostly because they both had English accents, but the whole pirate theme helped as well.

"Yes indeed, Scarlet." JoJo grinned as they rounded the corner and reached their destination. "Here we are," Jonathan gestured to the flamboyantly designed clothing store. _"_ _ **Eyes of Heaven**_ _Clothing and Accessories."_

The name was displayed on the front of the store in bright yellow cursive on a deep purple brick wall, the windows tinted black to hide the contents inside.

"Gotta say, this place looks interesting." Neptune whistled.

"I've heard of it before from someone. Think they were from Shade academy or something." Sun crossed his arms as they gazed up at the yellow name of the store.

"Wouldn't be surprised." Scarlet said.

Ignoring their reluctance, JoJo pushed open the large doors to the store with a grin on his face and walked inside. After a quick shrug, the leader of team SSSN walked in after the large Englishman, his teammates following behind.

"Whoa!" Neptune exclaimed at the rows upon rows of racks of brightly colored and…uniquely designed clothing.

"Well this is…bizarre." Scarlet said as he gazed across the sea of color.

"Yeah it can be a lot to take in, but there's actually quite a bit of quality products in here." Jonathan said to the gaping members of team SSSN as he began to browse through the nearest rack of clothing.

"Are those…crotchless yellow pants?" Neptune asked, pointing to a bright yellow outfit that consisted of a jacket and, lo and behold, crotchless pants. Beside them was a tight-looking tank top with even _shorter_ sleeves that seemed to go with the yellow clothes.

"This actually looks pretty interesting…" Jonathan said as he went over to the black tank top and examined it.

"You're not getting that… Are you?" Neptune asked.

Jonathan's eyes scanned the skin-tight top, a focused expression on his face.

"He's thinking about it." Scarlet smirked. JoJo then tossed the top over his shoulder and turned to his companions.

"All right! What else can we find?" Jonathan said with an eager smile on his face.

"Hey guys, check this out!" Sun called, and the four boys turned in the direction of his voice. Neptune covered his mouth and tried to hold in his laughter, but subsequently failed. Everyone else's eyes widened at the sight before them.

Sun was currently dressed in a black outfit that's definitely not his style. The outfit consisted of nice black pants, dress shoes that also seemed made for comfort, a black coat that reached below his knees, and a black hat that appeared to be ripped in the back. The jacket had a long gold chain that hung from the left collar and the hat had two gold pendants on the front, one rounded and the other square with the engraving of an open palm on it. Underneath the jacket was a basic gray shirt, which was really surprising considering that no one had ever not seen Sun's abs.

"What is _that?"_ Neptune said between laughs.

"What? It looks cool!" Sun replied and crossed his arms.

"It looks like some sort of delinquent's school uniform." Scarlet noted.

"Haters." Sun rolled his eyes.

"When did you have time to change into that?" Jonathan asked.

"When you were staring at that weird shirt." Sun said.

"Oh what _I_ was looking at is weird?" JoJo deadpanned.

"Oh be quiet and go back to looking at these bizarre clothes." Sun retorted.

"No arguments there!" Jonathan smirked and suddenly disappeared to go browse more clothing.

"He must really like this place." Neptune noted.

"Hey Neptune, here's something for you!" Sage called from a few clothing racks away. Out of curiosity, the blue-haired trident wielder raised an eyebrow and turned around, then immediately sighed and walked out of the store.

"Hey, wait!" Sage called, but it was fruitless, Neptune was already gone. What the dark-skinned member of team SSSN had raised to eagerly show to Neptune was a white and blue sailor outfit, complete with a hat to top it all off.

Sage then turned to his remaining teammates with a grin on his face. "Get it? Cause of the wate-"

"Yeah we get it, Sage." Scarlet sighed.

"What?" Sage asked. "It was funny."

"There's so much good stuff in here! More than when I was here before!" Jonathan shouted from across the store.

"Just hurry up, JoJo! It's already getting dark, so Beacon's curfew isn't long away!" Sun called back to the Joestar.

"Alright, alright! Give me a minute!" Jonathan replied.

. . .

By time they finally left the store, Jonathan was completely loaded with bags that contained clothing he'd bought. The muscular Joestar grinned widely, eager to get back to his dorm and put away the several outfits he planned to wear for the duration of the Vytal Festival. He'd even gone so far as to buy a small pouch full of gold pins and pendants he could attach to his clothes. They conducted Hamon well too, so there was a purpose for them other than cosmetics.

"Think you got enough there, pal?" Sun smirked.

"For now, at least. I might return soon, though." JoJo smiled, his arms full of bags.

"Well what you have now will certainly be interesting to see." Scarlet smiled as they passed under a street lamp.

"Very much so! Though I am a bit disappointed none of you liked the store." JoJo replied, a look of slight disappointment on his face.

"Who said that all of us didn't like it~?" Sun grinned and held up a single sack of clothing.

A small smile crept onto JoJo's lips as they reached the Bullhead docks. "Sun, my boy! I'm glad to see we share similar tastes!"

"Yeah, well, I gotta admit that place had some pretty cool looking clothes. Besides that one weird outfit that looked like someone took a cheese grater to it." Sun replied.

"I doubt even Scarlet would've liked that." Sage added.

"Oi!" Scarlet cried indignantly.

Jonathan laughed good naturedly and boarded the airship to Beacon.

. . .

"It has been a lonnnng day!" Jonathan sighed as he fell face-first onto his bed after putting away his new clothing. After he and team SSSN returned to Beacon, they split up once they got to the normal and transfer student dorms. JoJo speed walked as fast as he could to his room while holding the bags upon bags, organized and put away his newly-bought clothing, and now we're in the present.

Without moving his face off of his _extremely_ soft pillow, Jonathan picked his scroll up from his nightstand. He tiredly picked his head up, recoiling at the brightly lit screen, and read the time.

' _11:07… Jeez, we spent a lot of time in Vale.'_ The Joestar thought to himself and allowed his head to fall back onto the pillow. _'But at least now I can get some shuteye before our Doubles battle tomorrow…'_ He allowed his eyes to drift closed. Then just as sleep was about to take him, the absolute unexpected happened…

 _ **KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!**_

"Helloooo~!" A high-pitched voice rang throughout the dorm room. Jonathan's head shot up and looked in the direction of his cruel assailant.

"What is it Nora?" Jonathan asked irritably. He'd usually mask such ungentlemanly emotions by being his usual polite self, but he was tired, dammit.

"Just wanted to check up on our bestest pal before his second big fight in the tournament!" The Valkyrie sauntered towards the homemade emperor-sized bed that JoJo created by pushing the four regular beds together at the beginning of the semester.

"That's extremely kind of you and all, but it's kind of late, Nora." Jonathan sighed as he rolled over and sit up, leaning against the headboard of the large bed.

"I know, silly! But I still wanted to wish you good luck!" Nora said with a broad smile and sat on the edge of the bed. Jonathan blinked in response, "You know I'm gonna see you and the others _before_ the fight, right?"

"Duh! But still!" Nora playfully pushed his shoulder. JoJo only stared at the red head with a confused look on his face. Nora tilted her head slightly and gazed back at the Joestar, "By the way, JoJo, where were you after the tournament today?"

"Well, um, I talked with Ruby's and Yang's uncle for a while, then I went into Vale with Sun and his team. Why?"

"Oh, nothing. Us and team RWBY were going to throw you a little shindig for doing so well in Jaune's place. And you kinda ditched us, so if you go and do somethin' like that again then Ren and I will NEVER FORGIVE YOU!" Nora suddenly exclaimed, getting to her feet and raising her arms high above her head, which honestly startled Jonathan a bit. Then, as if nothing had happened, Nora spun around on her heel and headed for the exit. "Bye, JoJo!" The manic girl waved with an alarming level of happiness.

"Um…Bye Nora." Jonathan blinked as he watched Nora close the door. And like that, she was gone. JoJo slowly laid back on his pillows and rested his arms behind his head. _'What an odd occurrence…"_

. . .

 **The next morning…**

" _It was the heat of the moment, telling me what your heart meant! Heat of the moment, shown in your eyes…!"_

Jonathan sat up in his bed and glanced over at his ringing scroll. _'That's right, I set an alarm to wake up earlier…'_ JoJo thought to himself as he rubbed his eyes and picked up his scroll to turn off the deafening song. After the song was safely muted, the tall Englishman stretched his arms out and yawned loudly, smacking his lips a few times as he scratched his back. Then his eyes widened slightly once he realized two things: today was the day of the tournament's doubles battles and he had a closet full of new clothing to show off during said battles. With an eager grin, Jonathan threw his blankets off his legs and jumped up, heading for the bathroom while grabbing a towel.

. . .

"Alright! Looks like we're up!" Yang grinned as she rolled her shoulder, standing next to Weiss. "Just remember to keep proper form." Weiss rolled her eyes. Yang sighed at the heiress's heiress attitude, "Whatever."

In the stadium, teams RWBY, JNPR (save for Pyrrha), and SSSN were watching with excited eyes and clenched fists. Although the one most excited to see Yang and Weiss fight had to be…

"GO YANG! TEACH THOSE RICH ATLAS TYPES WHO'S BOSS!" Ruby shouted, popcorn shaking out of the massive container that she held with both hands.

"Would ya chill out, Rub-?" Sun asked.

"KICK THEIR HOIGHTY-TOIGHTY BUTTS, YANG! No offense, Weiss!" Ruby called, getting to her feet, still holding the popcorn and unintentionally shaking it out all over Jaune's head.

"Hey!" the blond knight exclaimed and shook the food out of his hair.

. . .

Flynt Coal had just finished using his semblance when a certain six-foot-five man with blue hair arrived at the stadium. Jonathan Joestar held his hand above his eyebrows, blocking his eyes from the sun so he could find his allies much easier. Luckily, thanks to Ruby's enthusiastic shouting, he was able to find them without much effort.

"Hello Ruby!" Jonathan grinned as he approached the fourteen students. "WHAT'RE YOU DOING WEISS-! Oh, hey JoJo! Why're you so la- OH MY DUST WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?" Ruby shrieked when she turned to face Jonathan. Curious to see what Ruby was talking about and wanting to say hello to their friend, Blake, JNPR, and SSSN turned to look at the Englishman.

Jonathan grinned at her initial reaction and took it to be pure amazement. Jonathan Joestar was currently dressed in a striped crop top that consisted of two colors: light blue and dark blue. Along with this, he wore a pair of dark blue trousers that were tucked into a pair of brown boots that reached just below his knees. A new pair of brown fingerless gloves with gold studs all over the top of his fists were on his arms, reaching up to his elbows. Around his waist were a pair of striped belts that matched his shirt, one of them worn normally and the other sitting loosely. On one side, the loose belt rested just below the first belt and on the other side it reached down to his thigh, so it appeared that the belt sat slightly sideways. Atop his head sat an old-fashioned cap with gold pins stuck to the front that read "JOJO" in gold. The bill of the hat was tilted to the side slightly so the letters were a bit crooked.

"You like it~?" Jonathan asked with a pleased smirk on his lips.

Sun held his chin in one hand and smiled, "Y'know, it looks bizarre as all hell, but you make it work! I remember you looking at that outfit last night, but to think you'd wear it today is not what I expected."

"I made my own personal additions, obviously, but thanks Sun!" Jonathan pointed to the gold pins on his hat and the gloves on his hands.

"This is going to be interesting when you and Pyrrha fight." Ren told the Englishman.

"Say, where _is_ Pyrrha? You two could be called to fight right after this one!" Ruby asked.

"She was summoned to Ozpin's office for some reason. All she said was that it was urgent." Jaune shrugged. Jonathan's eyes widened slightly. _'So_ she's _who they want…'_ he thought to himself. During the explanation Qrow and the others gave him about the maidens, they'd told him about the injured Fall maiden, hidden somewhere on campus. They didn't offer to show Jonathan who or where she was, so he didn't press further. All they'd really said was that Ozpin was in the process of finding someone to be the _new_ Fall maiden. Before he could become fully lost in thought, someone asked a question that shook him back to the present.

"Did you have to wear something so…revealing?" Blake asked with a red tint to her face. Of course her, of all people, would ask that, given her choice of… literature. Jonathan looked down at himself with a questioning expression on his face. "What do you mean?"

"It's not any worse than Sun's usual attire." Ren pointed out.

"Yes, but Sun's body is less…pronounced." Blake replied.

"Hey!" Sun crossed his arms indignantly.

"Sorry." Blake deadpanned.

"AND WHAT AN ASTOUNDING DISPLAY! MS. SCHNEE HAS SACRIFICED HERSELF TO TAKE OUT FLYNT COAL!" Doctor Oobleck announced over the loudspeaker. Everyone's heads instantly turned to find a large pillar of fire erupting from the stage. Jonathan glanced up at the large screen on display to examine their aura levels, and… Weiss's was at zero! Meanwhile, Flynt Coal's was at…

"AMAZING! FLYNT IS STILL IN THIS FIGHT!" Port said loudly, and the very ashy figure of Flynt Coal stumbled out of the smoke.

"His aura's at sixteen! Man, talk about cutting it close!" Nora exclaimed. Then, there was a sudden explosion on the stage. A gigantic ball of fire erupted from where Yang stood. As soon as the explosion came, it went away, leaving a very angry-looking Yang standing there with her fists clenched and eyes glowing red.

"Uh oh." Blake said quietly. Ruby grinned and leaned over the railing in front of her excitedly, "KICK THEIR BUTTS, SIS!"

And that's exactly what she did. The blond brawler made short work of Flynt, his fatigue and dwindling aura getting the best of him. After Oobleck announced the trumpet player's defeat, Neon basically took _herself_ out of the competition by tripping in her roller skates, and Yang capitalized in the vulnerable state that the Faunus was left in.

"And there goes Neon! Talk about losing your footing." Oobleck announced and pushed his glasses further up on the bridge of his nose.

Without hesitation, Blake and Ruby leapt over the railing of the colosseum and rushed to their teammates' aid. But, as soon as Ruby made it over, Jonathan caught the younger girl by her belt and held her there, the large Englishman leaning onto the rail with Ruby struggling to break free from his grasp.

"Where are you going?" Jonathan asked calmly.

"To help Weiss! Lemme down, JoJo!" She futilely kicked her legs and waved her arms. Jonathan gave a small smile and released the younger girl, allowing her to fall to her feet and rush to Weiss, Yang, and Blake via her semblance.

"Those four…" Jonathan chuckled and got into a better position to lean on the rail.

"Hey, kid." A familiar voice said behind JoJo. Jonathan raised an eyebrow and peeked over his shoulder to find Qrow standing several feet behind him with his hands in his pockets.

"Qrow! How are you today?" Jonathan turned to him with a kind smile.

"Fine, kid. C'mon, Oz wants to talk to you again." He replied, putting his back to JoJo and walking towards the staircase. Team SSSN and JNPR could only watch the scythe-wielder leave as quickly as he arrived.

Jonathan blinked in response and rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. "Guess I'll see you seven later, hopefully when it's time for Pyrrha and I to fight."

"Don't sweat it, Joestar." Nora grinned.

"See you when you return." Ren bowed slightly.

"Bye JoJo!" Sun waved. Jonathan chuckled in response and followed Qrow towards the Bullhead docks.

After the two reached the airships, Qrow slid the side door open and gestured for JoJo to step in.

"So what's this about?" Jonathan asked he stepped onto the Bullhead, though he had a feeling he already knew.

"Your friend, Pyrrha. Oz is finally getting around to having the new Fall maiden selected. At least, he thinks Pyrrha is the next one in line." Qrow replied.

"Because of that process you, he, and General Ironwood explained to me about new Maidens?" JoJo asked.

"Right. Although I think it'd be better for him to explain the situation with Pyrrha." He nodded.

Jonathan nodded in understanding and turned his eyes forward, looking out of the front windshield and at Beacon Tower.

. . .

The Beacon Tower elevator opened to reveal James Ironwood and Glynda Goodwitch standing inside. Without saying anything, Qrow stepped inside, then Jonathan reluctantly did as well. Ironwood only nodded to the Joestar as he stood between him and Qrow. Professor Goodwitch wordlessly pressed the button for the top floor on the elevator, then the lift began to ascend.

. . .

 _ **Ding!**_

The elevator doors slid open, and a shell-shocked Pyrrha turned to find her friend and the three professors walking towards her and Ozpin.

"Jonathan?" Pyrrha asked.

"Hello Pyrrha." Jonathan gave a small wave. The red head stared at the muscular Joestar, her eyes filled with both trust towards him and uncertainty towards her situation.

"What's going _on,_ JoJo?" She asked him shakily. Jonathan raised his hands slightly as if to signify that she was in no danger. "It's all right, you can trust me and you can trust Ozpin." He told her, but even he wasn't sure if he believed his own words. He only knew slightly more than she.

"We're still the professors and headmasters you know, Ms. Nikos." Goodwitch assured her.

" 'Cept we've got a little part-time job." Qrow added.

"We are the protectors of this world." Ironwood told the Spartan.

"And we need _your_ help. Both of you." Ozpin said as he laced his fingers together. Pyrrha turned to look back at Ozpin, "What do you mean both of us?"

"Uh…" Qrow said.

"You can tell her if you want, the choice is up to you." Ozpin told Jonathan with a kind, but meaningful, look in his eyes. JoJo nodded in response and tightened his jaw.

Pyrrha looked back at Jonathan with a questioning expression on her face. "Ms. Nikos, I am uh…not exactly from Vale. Or from Remnant, for that matter. Technically, I'd be an alien to you."

Despite the seriousness of the circumstances, Pyrrha laughed. What started as a muted chuckle turned into full-on hysterics. "I'm sorry, JoJo. This Maiden fairy tale, I can believe, but you from another world?"

"He's telling the truth, kid. Look at him, think about your past experiences with him. His 'Hamon' thing, the fact that he doesn't have an aura, and not to mention his sense of fashion." Qrow listed.

"Oi, what was that about my fashion choices?" Jonathan asked.

Slowly, the pieces fit together in Pyrrha's mind. She'd just thought that he was from Shade Academy or Atlas, given his gentlemanly personality and bizarre clothing, not to mention the flamboyant poses he does on a daily basis. Professor Ozpin only watched the young prodigy accept what she'd been told.

"Oh my Dust…" Pyrrha said quietly and clasped her hands together, holding them against her chest.

"I'll explain it more in detail later, let's just get this mess out of the way first, alright?" Jonathan smiled kindly and placed his hand on her shoulder gently. Pyrrha looked up and met his eyes, then nodded. "It doesn't matter where you're from, you're still JoJo."

Jonathan smiled thankfully. He'd honestly been afraid of what his friends would think of him after learning the truth, so it was a relief that Pyrrha looked past his origins. "Just don't tell the others yet, alright?"

"Don't worry." Pyrrha smiled kindly, then turned to her professors with a determined look on her face. "Let's get this out of the way, shall we?"

Ozpin allowed a small smile to appear on his face, but it quickly faded before he said his next words. "Indeed. Although the situation is a bit more…dire than you think."

. . .

The six of them descended into the underground floors of Beacon, but the ride was a bit crammed thanks to Jonathan's large frame. After a solid minute of riding down, Pyrrha finally spoke up.

"Professor, where exactly are we going?"

"The vault, under the school." Ozpin replied calmly. Then nothing more was said. Jonathan glanced over at Qrow, who stood beside him, and the scythe wielder gave him a cautious look. Soon after, the elevator came to a halt, and the doors slid open. Without hesitation, the four professors exited the lift and stepped out into a gigantic cavern-like room with large pillars and concrete floors, walls, and ceiling.

Jonathan and Pyrrha reluctantly stepped out to follow them, both of them walking side by side several feet behind the professors.

"What _is_ this room?" Jonathan asked as he looked around the room, examining the walls and support pillars.

"You're about to find out." Ironwood replied solemnly and continued walking.

"I still don't understand. You said I was next in line to receive the Maiden's power. What do you mean by that?" Pyrrha asked.

"The Maidens have existed for thousands of years. But just like in nature, the seasons change. As soon as a Maiden dies, her power seeks out a new host to ensure that no one holds onto the power forever." Glynda replied.

"How does a Maiden's power 'choose' its next host?" Jonathan asked as he adjusted the gloves on his hands.

"Through a series of stupid and convoluted rules, kid." Qrow looked over his shoulder.

Glynda sighed and rolled her eyes, but continued. "At first, the only thing known was that the power went into young women. But as time went on, we learned that the situation was much more…intimate. As we understand it now, the one in her final thoughts is the next one in line to receive the power."

"Unless it's a dude or some hag." Qrow added. "Then the power goes at random, and our job gets _much_ harder."

"Why tell me this now?" Pyrrha asked.

"They ran out of time." Jonathan guessed.

"Correct again, kid. I dunno if you noticed, but things are getting worse in the world. More Grimm sightings _and_ attacks. Entire villages lost. Not only that, they're getting _stronger._ And it's not gonna be much longer before this 'time of peace' is out the window." Qrow replied.

"You don't mean war, do you?" Pyrrha asked.

"Not between nations." Ironwood said.

"We'll fill you in more once we know you're with us. Jonathan already knows a bit, but nothing close to all of it. For now, all you need to know is that one of the Maidens was attacked. And for the first time in history, part of her power was stolen." Qrow told her.

Professor Ozpin slowed to a halt and turned to his students. "This, is Amber." He gestured to a cryotube that contained a tan girl with shoulder length brown hair. "The Fall Maiden." Beside the cryotube was a second, empty cryotube. Between them sat a brightly lit monitor that connected the two. Jonathan hadn't noticed at first, but a large, ugly scar spread across her face.

"She's…still alive." Pyrrha said.

"For now." Ironwood responded. "We're using state of the art Atlas tech to keep her stable."

"For how long?" Jonathan asked

"We don't know. Days? Weeks? We don't know for certain. There's a lot about this situation that is unprecedented." Ironwood replied.

"What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked.

"There's no telling what's going to happen when she passes." Qrow said.

"Will the Maiden's power not just pass on to a new host?" Jonathan asked, making a small gesture with his hands.

"Under normal circumstances, yes. But this is a delicate situation. It not uncommon for the Maiden's last thoughts to be of her attacker. And to make matters worse, we've never seen their power split like this before. For all we know, it'll try to find its other half." General Ironwood explained.

"Her attacker…" Jonathan said as he glanced towards Amber.

"And that would not bode well for any of us." Ozpin leaned onto is cane and looked at Pyrrha. In response, the red-haired Spartan approached Amber's cryotube and put her hand onto the glass. "If all of this is true, why keep it a secret? If this _girl_ is so important, if we're truly on the brink of war, why not tell everyone." she asked. Jonathan already knew why, it's the same reason that they didn't tell the citizens of Windknight's Lot: to prevent mass panic.

Glynda Goodwitch took a cautious step forward, "From what we understand, it used to be common knowledge."

"Excuse me?" Pyrrha asked.

"How do you think legends and fairy tales get started? Even the craziest ones come from somewhere" Qrow said before uncorking his flask and taking a long swig.

' _Kind of like vampires and zombies…'_ Jonathan mused.

"Our group was founded to protect both mankind _and_ the Maidens. Those hungry for power hunted them down in hope of inheriting their strength." Goodwitch explained.

"And as you can imagine, those people aren't exactly the ones you'd want running around with the power of the Maidens." Qrow said as he put his flask away.

"And so this brotherhood chose to remove the Maidens from the public eye, allowing their existence to fade into legend.

"What we're telling you goes against hundreds of years of human history and religion." Glynda turned to Jonathan and Pyrrha.

"No one would believe you. No one would _want_ to believe you." Jonathan put together, turning to look at Ozpin.

"Correct. It would cause absolute panic through the kingdoms." Ozpin replied.

"And panic brings Grimm." Pyrrha finalized.

"Precisely. Which is why we would like to-" Ozpin turned to his students.

"I'll do it." Pyrrha interrupted. Ozpin, Qrow, and the others turned to Pyrrha. "If you believe _this_ will help humanity, I'll do it. I will become your Fall Maiden."

Ozpin glanced between his companions, almost nervously.

"…That's what you wanted, isn't it?" Pyrrha asked.

"It is, but it's not as simple as that." Ozpin replied. "Given Amber's condition, you won't be able to inherit her power naturally. However, General Ironwood believes he has a solution."

"For years, Atlas has been studying aura from a more scientific standpoint. How it works; what its made of; how it can be used. We've made significant strides, and now we believe we've found a way to capture it."

"Capture it and cram it into something else. Or in your case…" Qrow added.

"That's-" a distressed expression spread on Pyrrha's face.

"Classified." Ironwood said.

"-Wrong!"

"The feeling is mutual." Glynda crossed her arms. "But desperate times call for desperate measures."

"And these are indeed desperate times." Ironwood stepped forward. "We can't transfer her powers _to_ you, but we can give you what those powers are bound to."

"Her aura." Pyrrha's eyes widened slightly.

"Her life would become intertwined with yours. But the question is…" Ozpin nodded.

"What will that do to her?" Jonathan asked, crossing his arms. He did his best to try understanding the talk that was going on, especially since this world's technology _still_ left his mind boggled.

Pyrrha glanced down slightly with a worried expression. Ozpin's eyes turned sympathetic as he leaned onto his cane again, "We've given you much to think on, Ms. Nikos. You have a very important decision to make. There's no guarantee this transfer will work, and there's no telling if you'll be the same person if it does. But understand that before the Vytal Festival is over, we will need your answer."

Jonathan put a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. When Pyrrha glanced back at him, JoJo nodded gravely, but with kind eyes.

"Amber's assailant has already made the first move, and there's no telling when the next one will be." Ozpin said, then turned to walk back to the elevator.

. . .

"And now for our next pairs of students to face off, the final doubles match of the night! After this will be the one-on-one round!" Professor Port announced. By time Pyrrha and Jonathan returned to the colosseum, all of the doubles matches had already finished, except for theirs.

"Now to announce the combatants for the match, which will be Pyrrha Nikos and Jonathan Joestar of team JNPR of Beacon and Sera Purpura and Magnus Mundis of team OLMS (Olympus) of Shade!" Doctor Oobleck said over the loudspeaker. **(1.)**

Pyrrha and Jonathan arrived at the center of the stage with their weapons, and facing them was a pair of other students.

"You ready for this, Magnus?" a girl slightly taller than Ruby said to her teammate as she stretched.

"Ready as ever." The boy to her left replied. The girl had a determined gleam in her purple eyes and a cocky expression on her face. A scar similar to Weiss's went over her right eye. Medium-length white hair nearly touched her shoulders, slightly covering the left side of her face. She wore a stylish white jacket with purple trim that nearly reached her knees over a purple tank top of the same shade, white pants, and a pair of black combat boots. A purple belt with a silver buckle with an engraving of a ' **Ω** ' was around her waist, and a second belt hung loosely on her hips, much like Jonathan's belts. However, her second belt was larger and appeared to be made of black leather. It had a gun holster on the side of the belt that sat on her thigh, and in addition, silver Dust rounds were held in small loops along the length of the belt. It reminded Jonathan of the belts that Americans wore all the time, a "cowboy" belt, if you will. A single black leather strap went from her right shoulder to her left hip, and a large sword could be seen across her back, signifying that the strap was what held the sword in place.

As for the boy beside her, he wore various pieces of engraved golden armor, similar to how Pyrrha wore hers. The armor's engraving resembled a mix of ocean waves and various other patterns that seemed to emanate intelligence. The boy, Magnus, held a large, round shield in his left hand and a long spear in his right. Jonathan recognized the weapons from his various history and archeological courses in England. The spear was known as a "Dory" and the shield was called a "Hoplon". Both weapons were used by the ancient Greeks, and are still revered today as being highly effective in combat. Magnus's shield was engraved with a large, ugly, growling female face with what appeared to be snakes protruding from her head in place of hair. Just looking at the object made his skin crawl. _'If I know my history,'_ Jonathan thought to himself. _'That face is that of Medusa's. It's interesting that Remnant has the same myths as Earth.'_

As for Magnus's spear, it appeared to have a dark wooden shaft with a golden razor-sharp head. It also had a golden grip placed a little past halfway down the shaft. Golden blonde hair reached past his shoulders, and a pair of cloud-grey eyes bored into Jonathan. Magnus appeared to be well built and stood at about six feet tall, but still appeared small when compared to Jonathan.

At a low tone of voice and without taking his eyes off of the pair in front of them, Jonathan spoke to Pyrrha out of the corner of his mouth. "I know that what we were just told is a lot to take in, but we can't let that get in the way of this. In the long run, the Maidens are much more important than this tournament, but that girl's smug aura makes me want to not lose this, if at all possible."

"I know, JoJo. Don't worry about me, I'll deal with that _after_ this." Pyrrha responded and drew her weapons. Jonathan nodded and did the same, drawing his longsword and getting into a fighting stance.

"Are you four ready?" Port asked as the countdown timer and environment hologram appeared. The girl across from them, Sera, grinned and drew her large sword. Jonathan gaped at the sheer size of the weapon she held as if it weighed nothing. It was easily as tall as she was, its long, straight crimson-colored blade gleaming in the light. Its cross guard and hilt were silver, and a red jewel was embedded in the pommel. Magnus raised his ugly shield and held his spear above it in the stance that ancient Greek warriors used. **(2.)**

The environmental holograms began to roll like slot machines, and after a mere four seconds, they both abruptly halted.

"Forest and beach!" Oobleck announced, then the floor except for the center of the stage slid underground and the chosen environments took their places, the large pirate ship jutting into the sky. Behind Jonathan and Pyrrha was the beach and water, and behind Sera and Magnus was the forest.

"Start the countdown!" Port announced.

"Good luck you two!" Nora called from the stadium.

"Three… Two… One!" Professor Port announced as the timer counted down.

"Fight!" Oobleck called as soon as it reached zero.

Sera and Magnus immediately charged forward, Magnus going for Pyrrha and Sera going for JoJo.

The white-haired girl put on a brave smile and raised her sword as she rushed towards Jonathan at a breakneck speed.

' _She's fast…!'_ The blue-haired Englishman barely had time to raise his sword and block the blow. Jonathan grunted from the sheer force behind the strike, his feet sliding back a few inches. _'And strong!'_

Sera immediately regained her footing and swung her sword again. Deciding that there wasn't enough time to block again, Jonathan dove to the side and used his hands to push himself backwards and onto the beach as soon as he could. During his dodge, JoJo glanced to the side to see Pyrrha and Magnus furiously slicing at each other, banging their shields together and evading attacks. Despite Magnus's larger weapons and body, Pyrrha had no trouble defending herself against him. In fact, Magnus looked very worried.

Sera smirked and flicked a switch on the grip. A small slot opened just under the cross guard, and the girl flipped a red Dust crystal with her fingers, just like someone would flip a coin, then inserted the crystal into the sword. As soon as she closed the slot and raised her sword, the enemy huntress grinned, then the sword's blade ignited with green fire, the crimson blade contrasting with the flames. **(3.)**

Jonathan's eyes widened at the sight, _'Well that's not good.'_

Sera smirked and rushed him again. JoJo gritted his teeth and prepared to block the sword strikes. Then he got a better idea. He glanced behind him at the shallow body of water just several feet behind him, then smirked. JoJo faced his assailant again just as she reached him, then raised his sword, its blade pointing to his left.

 _ **CLANG!**_

The weapons crashed against each other. As soon as her sword struck his, he channeled Hamon into it, through the blades, and into her. Sera's eyes widened just before she was sent several feet backwards as if she had suffered an electric shock. Jonathan took the opportunity to leap into the water and sent Hamon into the soles of his feet just before impact, allowing him to land on top of the water as if it were the ground. Jonathan smiled at how well he was keeping himself above water, considering the last time he did this, he sunk down to his calves.

"Oho! It appears that young Jonathan Joestar has the ability to _walk on water!_ This lad is certainly full of surprises!" Professor Port announced in his usual tone.

Pyrrha gritted her teeth and redirected Magnus's spear thrust via her semblance, sending the weapon into the sand instead of her. Capitalizing on the opportunity, she immediately kicked the Shade Academy student in the chest, sending him backwards and separating him from his spear.

"You're a tough one." Magnus smirked and tightened his grip on his shield. Pyrrha said nothing, only raising her weapons in a fighting stance.

After Sera regained her footing and looked to her opponent, her eyes widened when she saw Jonathan standing on the water.

"That's an interesting semblance you got there, does it allow you to walk on water like that too?" She asked rhetorically.

"Sure does, but it took some practice to get used to." Jonathan replied and raised his sword.

"Bet so. Gotta say though, that little shock there was kinda annoying." She replied and effortlessly twirled her sword with one hand.

"I could try harder." JoJo smirked.

"I'm not even gonna give you the chance." She gripped her sword tighter. Then, before Jonathan could even respond, she leapt towards him and brought her sword down in a massive downwards swing. Jonathan dashed backwards and the sword collided with the water below him. Without hesitation, JoJo gave a mighty kick to her side, comically skipping Sera across the water like a rock. Jonathan had to suppress a laugh by sprinting across the water towards her as fast as he could.

Before Sera could get to her feet, Jonathan leapt into the air and brought his foot down in an attempt to kick her again. But, the huntress was faster than he'd initially thought, because her hands were suddenly raised _just_ in time to catch his foot and throw him towards the wreckage of the pirate ship.

Jonathan's back slammed into the ship full force, effectively knocking the air our of his lungs. JoJo fell to his knees and coughed hard, trying to get air. He didn't have long to recover however, because Sera was already within striking distance of him. Jonathan's eyes widened as the large sword swung towards his head. He immediately ducked his head, then the sword cleaved into the side of the pirate ship. Gritting his teeth, Jonathan clenched his Hamon-filled fist and struck under Sera's chin, turning his body as kicked his legs and leapt into the air. The uppercut sent the white-haired huntress fifteen feet into the air, a surprised expression on her face as Hamon sparked along her body, passing through her aura as if it wasn't there.

The girl collided with the sandy beach, her sword landing on the ground beside her and impaling itself in the sand. Jonathan landed with a smirk on his lips and sheathed his weapon. After a brief moment of realization, he patted his own head, his eyes widening slightly. He whipped his head around to find his new hat laying on the sand by the ship.

"Bollocks…" Jonathan cursed and allowed Hamon to visibly spark along his arms.

"I actually felt that one, big guy." Sera smirked as she got to her feet, pulling the sword out of the sand.

"And Magnus Mundis is out of the fight! Quite an amazing display by Beacon's own prodigy, Pyrrha Nikos!" Oobleck announced, then Sera whipped her head around to see her teammate flying out of the arena. She gritted her teeth when she saw Pyrrha running towards her and Jonathan, then yanked the rest of the sword out of the sand and charge JoJo.

The Englishman smirked and got into his boxer's fighting stance, "Nice work, Pyrrha!" He called just before dodging out of the way of Sera's attack and delivering a blow to her ribs. Sera allowed her grip on her sword, Crimson Eclipse, to slacken until the blade once more impaled itself in the sand. She gritted her teeth and gave JoJo a punch of her own, sending the Joestar flying back again just before Pyrrha reached them.

Pyrrha leapt into the air and sliced at Sera with her one-handed sword, but just before the blade could make contact, the white-haired huntress pulled the handgun out of its holster and caught the sword on the barrel! The gun itself was a large, silver-colored revolver with black engraving along its barrel and cylinder. The grip had a pearl stock with another Omega engraved on it.

"This party's getting crazy!" Sera grinned and kicked Pyrrha back. The red-haired Spartan regained her balance in midair and threw her shield at Sera. The Shade huntress fan-fired her revolver at the shield, diverting its course and embedding it in a nearby tree.

Jonathan appeared out of nowhere, grabbing Sera's shoulder from behind and turning her around to punch her in the chest. Sera flew several feet backwards, but smirked and aimed her gun at Jonathan as she soared back. Jonathan immediately hit the dirt, and the bullets hit the ship a few dozen feet behind him.

Sera regained her balance in midair much like how Pyrrha did and leapt back towards JoJo with a smirk.

' _What is she planning?'_ Jonathan asked himself as he raised his fists.

Pyrrha then leapt towards Sera and intercepted her by kicking her in the back. Sera's eyes widened as she was sent into the tree that Pyrrha's shield was embedded in.

"It seems Ms. Purpura is in a dire situation at the moment! Can she pull through, or is this the end?" Port announced.

Sera glared at Pyrrha, then glanced up and yanked the red head's shield out of the tree and got to her feet. Pyrrha smirked and raised her arm, then her shield flew from Sera's grip and into her hand.

"What the fu-?" Sera asked, but Jonathan's fist appeared out of nowhere, sending the girl sprawling onto the sand.

Sera gritted her teeth again and spit the sand out of her mouth. "Alright…" She said with a calm fury to her voice. She then jumped to her feet and fan-fired the rest of the rounds from her revolver towards the two. Pyrrha quickly blocked the rounds for her, then her eyes widened.

' _He's telling the truth, kid. Look at him, think about your past experiences with him. His 'Hamon' thing, the fact_ _ **that he doesn't have an aura**_ _, and not to mention his sense of fashion.'_ Qrow's words rang in Pyrrha's head, and she whipped around and threw her hand up.

Jonathan knew he didn't have enough time to dodge this attack. His eyes widened, then squeezed shut as he raised his arms as if to protect himself from an attack.

Just before the Dust rounds could reach JoJo, they froze in midair. Jonathan slowly opened his eyes to see three bullets in front of his face. Pyrrha turned her head back to Sera, who still held her stance from fan-firing, her left-hand hovering above the hammer of the gun. Pyrrha then released her semblance, allowing the bullets to safely fall to the sand.

"You tried to shoot my friend." Pyrrha said calmly.

"To be fair, I tried to shoot _both_ of you." Sera replied as she spun her revolver on her finger, then popped the cylinder out, dumped out the empty casings, then popped in a quick loader into the gun, instantly reloading it.

Pyrrha was about to lunge at the girl, but Jonathan placed his hand on the Spartan's shoulder.

"I've got this one." JoJo said as he walked past Pyrrha and towards Sera.

"Oh yeah? Judging by how that went a few seconds ago, I doubt that, big guy." Sera smirked as she got to her feet.

JoJo said nothing, only raising his fists, getting into both a fighting stance and a pose.

"Fists, huh?" Sera asked as she holstered her gun and mimicked his pose. "Gotta say though, the posing is kinda ridiculous." And with that, Jonathan kicked the sand at his feet, sending it directly into her face.

"Gah! You basta-!" She cursed, but Jonathan quickly closed the distance between them and kicking her in the chest.

"Yowch." Yang said from the stands. "That had to hurt."

Jonathan grinned and grabbed Sera's ankle just as she left the ground, pulling her back to him and delivering a particularly powerful blow to the same place he kicked. Sera's eyes widened as her back slammed into the ground.

Before Jonathan could take the opportunity to hit her again, Sera used her hands to push herself off of the ground and kick JoJo in the chin. However, he quickly recovered from the blow, grabbing her leg and throwing her as far as he could away. Jonathan allowed his Hamon to dull the pain from the blow as he marched towards Sera.

"I think the big guy's a little pissed." Yang whistled.

"That'd be a first, I don't think we've _seen_ him mad." Weiss said.

"He's not angry." Blake put in.

"How do ya know?" Ruby looked at her Faunus teammate.

"Did you see his eyes? That wasn't anger, more of just…mild annoyance. Trust me, Weiss makes that same face _all_ the time." Blake replied.

"Hey!" Weiss crossed her arms.

"A tough guy, eh? This is gonna be fun!" Sera smirked and raised her fists.

"I couldn't agree more." Jonathan said as he approached Sera. The white-haired huntress then lunged at him. Her fist connected with his broad chest, but Jonathan did not recoil. Instead, he grabbed her fist and punched her in the shoulder. Or he would have, if she didn't twist her body and use the leverage from Jonathan's grip on her to throw him into the sand. Sera delivered several punches to his large body, then raised her fist to deliver what she'd thought was the final blow.

"Jackpot!" She grinned, then punched downwards. Pyrrha had just began to rush to Jonathan's aid, but halted when she saw a large hand catch Sera's fist.

"Oh boy…" Ruby said as she watched the enlarged image on the gigantic screen in front of her and the audience.

ゴ

ゴ

ゴ

ゴ

Jonathan's tall figure emerged as he stood, standing tall above the relatively short huntress in front of him.

"Now, why don't we finish this?" Jonathan asked. His striped tank top was in tatters from the barrage of punches he just suffered, so he ripped the clothing away, revealing his bare torso to the audience.

Most of the stadium erupted in high-pitched cheering at the sight before them.

"Shh, do you hear that? It's the sound of panties dropping." Sun grabbed Scarlet's shoulder and gestured to the crowd around them.

"I dunno about _that,_ right Yang? Yang?" Ruby asked. Ruby looked over to see her older sister staring at the large screen, a single line of blood trailing down from her nose.

"Ugh, the company I keep. Right, Blake? Oh Dust not you too!" Ruby groaned at the Faunus in a similar state. Ruby sighed and momentarily looked into her lap. "Well at least I still have you, right Wei-? Oh come on!"

Across the stadium, Cinder Fall stared with wide eyes at the sight of Jonathan ripping away his shirt.

"It's not _that_ impressive." Mercury crossed his arms.

"Speak for yourself, Mercury. I'll say it again, have you _seen_ that bod?" Emerald asked. Mercury rolled his eyes, but Cinder kept staring as, she too, had a nosebleed at the sight.

" **Koooooh!"** Jonathan took a deep breath, a yellow aura forming around his body as Hamon coursed through him. Sera smirked and charged him again. JoJo immediately caught her fist again, then delivered the hardest blow he could to her gut. The huntress doubled over at the impact and coughed. Without wasting a breath (har har), Jonathan yanked Sera up and threw her into the air, then got into his signature fighting stance as she fell back to the ground. Jonathan smirked just as she got within range.

' _I've finally decided, this is it. The perfect… punching angle!'_ He thought to himself, then proceeded to deliver a vicious barrage of punches to her body, keeping Sera "afloat" with the sheer force of the blows. **(3.)**

" **Koooooooh! Sunlight Yellow OVERDRIIIIIVE!"** Jonathan yelled as he intensified his blows, the speed and impact increasing until he let out a yell and one, final punch to her abdomen.

' _T-that strength…!'_ Sera thought to herself just before she was sent even further upwards.

"And that's all for team OLMS (Olympus)! They fought valiantly, but the sheer skill of Pyrrha Nikos and Jonathan Joestar proved to be too much for the Shade Academy students!" Professor Port announced.

"Yes! And with that, team JNPR moves on to the singles round! JNPR, choose your fighter and return to the stands while we set up. And can someone make sure that Ms. Purpura is all right?" Oobleck added.

. . .

"Mercury Black and Yang Xiao Long!" Professor Port announced once the first combatants for the first round were chosen. Jonathan had decided to step out of the tournament, much to the audience's dislike because they wouldn't be able to see his shirtless self anymore. And so, Pyrrha stood on the center stage along with Yang, Mercury, Penny, Sun, and all the other teams' single fighters.

"This'll be a match to remember!" Oobleck announced.

"Break a leg, sis!" Ruby shouted.

"Would all other combatants please leave the stage." Port said, and everyone except for Mercury and Yang walked to exit the stage.

"Good luck, Yang Bang." Sun patted the fellow blond on the shoulder as he passed her.

"Don't worry, I won't need it." Yang smirked.

. . .

"Yang!" Jonathan yelled and stood up, gripping the railing in front of him tightly.

"Cut the cameras!" Oobleck ordered. Teams RWBY, JNPR, SSSN, and JoJo stared with wide eyes as Atlas soldiers surrounded Yang and Mercury, their guns pointed at the blond brawler.

"Ah! My leg!" Mercury shouted, holding onto his 'wounded' leg in a sitting position.

"Yang Xiao Long, stand down!" an Atlas soldier ordered.

"What? Why?" Yang asked, genuinely confused.

"Why'd she do that? Why'd she attack me?!" Mercury asked a 'distressed' Emerald, who'd suddenly showed up out of nowhere.

Yang looked up at a screen showing a recording of her punching a defenseless Mercury while he was down. Her eyes widened and her fists unclenched, "That's not possible."

Several medical staff ran onto the stage, carrying a stretcher.

"We need to get this boy out of here." One of them told the others.

After they carried Mercury away, Yang turned to the soldiers who had their weapons trained on her. "You don't understand, he attacked me!"

"Shut it! You've already caused enough of a scene." A soldier responded.

"Why would she do that?" Blake demanded.

"I don't know!" Ruby said with a deep frown.

"She wouldn't just do that out of the blue." Jonathan said as he watched the soldiers lead Yang away.

"We'll get to the bottom of it." Jaune promised as he appeared next to Jonathan and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Now," Weiss said, then JoJo and the others turned to look at her. "Would you put a shirt on already?"

. . .

"Whether it was an accident, or an assault, it doesn't matter. The world saw you attack an innocent student. They've already drawn their own conclusions, and it's my job to inform you that…you've been disqualified." General James Ironwood told team RWBY and Jonathan inside of RWBY's dorm. Given the circumstances, Ironwood was willing to allow Jonathan, who was now wearing his usual blue shirt, to listen in on the conversation. Considering that JoJo was technically part of their team, RWBY was none the wiser.

And with that, Ironwood gave Jonathan a curt nod, then exited the dorm room.

"You guys believe me, right?" Yang asked.

"Duh! You're hotheaded, but not ruthless." Weiss said.

"…Blake?" Yang asked.

After a few moments of silence, Blake glanced downward. "I want to believe you."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Weiss asked.

Jonathan's eyes went wide when he saw Yang's eyes tearing up. "Blake?" She asked again.

"How can you say something like that, Blake? Yang would _never_ lie to us." Weiss asked.

Blake then glanced over at the heiress and sighed. "I had someone very dear to me change. It wasn't in an instant, it was gradual. Little choices that piled up until I didn't even know who he was anymore. He told me not to worry. Before long, even I began to think he was right. This is all just…very familiar."

Jonathan's eyes widened slightly as Blake continued talking. "But you're not him, and you've never done anything like this before. So… I want to believe you. I want to trust you. I _will_ trust you. But first, I need you to look me in the eyes and tell me that _he_ attacked _you."_

Yang wiped her eyes and looked and at Blake directly. "I saw him attack me, so I defended myself."

Blake closed her eyes momentarily and nodded, a small smile on her face. "Okay. I believe you."

"Her reasons weren't unjustified, Yang." Jonathan said as he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. The four girls turned to look at the Joestar, a somber expression on his face. "I _lived_ with a monster my entire life. He tormented me for most of my life and even caused my childhood sweetheart to never see me again, until several months ago, that is. Then one day, he changed. I'd like to think it was because of the beating I gave him that he so rightly deserved, but deep down I still didn't trust him, not after what he did. Months ago, he…he was back to his old self, and did…horrible things. So I know what it's like to be in a similar situation, Blake."

"That's… Wow, Jonathan… I never would've known." Blake replied, a shocked expression on her face.

The rest were speechless. Weiss's mouth gaped as she stared at the Englishman.

Jonathan wiped the tear that was forming in his right eye and put on a smile. "Hey, what are you all staring at me for? Yang might've just gotten herself disqualified, but that's no reason to act so mopey! I say we get out and enjoy the festival while it's still here, what do you say?"

"Actually, I think I'm going to get some rest, if that's alright with you guys." Yang said. Blake, Ruby, and Weiss got to their feet. "We'll get out of your hair." Blake gave a smile, then made her way towards the door with the rest of RWBY.

"C'mon, JoJo." Blake said and pulled the Englishman along with a surprising amount of strength.

After the door closed, Weiss put a hand on her forehead and sighed. "That was a mess."

"Is she alright?" a voice asked behind them. The four turned around to see team JNPR standing in the doorway with worried expressions on their faces, Jaune standing at front.

"She's doing the best she can." Blake replied.

"I hear Mercury and his team rushed back to Haven to be with his family. So, until they land, no one can really question them about what happened." Ruby said.

"Please don't hesitate to ask if there's anything we can do." Ren replied.

"If that's the case…Pyrrha?" Ruby asked, and Pyrrha looked up. "Be sure to win one for Beacon!"

Pyrrha glanced at Jonathan, who nodded at the red head in response. "I'll do my best." She tried for a smile.

"I'll be sure to watch tonight in case you're picked!" Ruby added. Pyrrha only cast her eyes downwards in response.

"I think I've had enough fighting for one year." Blake said.

"Ditto." Weiss nodded. "Coffee?"

"Tea." Blake smiled, then walked with Weiss down the hallway, with Ruby following close behind.

Jonathan sighed and ran his fingers through his dark hair.

"It's a shame about this whole situation." Ren cast his eyes down.

"Isn't that the truth." JoJo replied. "I'd better go with them before they get into any more trouble." Jaune and Ren nodded gravely and looked to Nora and Pyrrha. Before Jonathan left, however, he looked inside of JNPR's dorm at Pyrrha.

"Pyrrha?" He asked, and the Spartan glanced up. "If you're chosen for a fight, good luck."

Pyrrha nodded in response and gave a small smile. Jonathan then walked in the same direction that Ruby and the others went, but not before letting out a deep sigh. _'This situation isn't ideal.'_ He thought to himself.

. . .

"The boy _still_ has not been found?" Salem asked furiously from her throne.

"No, mistress. Cinder and her companions have not made any progress at all." Doctor Watts replied.

"Actually, the boy Mercury says he suspects a tall fellow with dark blue hair. He has no proof, but he reports that something about him feels…off." Hazel said, his arms crossed.

"And _why_ hasn't this been brought to my attention sooner?" Salem turned to look at the muscled man.

"Because Mercury says Cinder's… infatuation with the boy clouds her vision."

Salem raised an eyebrow. "Did you order him to eliminate the boy anyway?"

"No, ma'am. Given the current situation, Mercury is lying low for now. If anyone saw him out in the open, the plan could fall apart. I don't think they'll be able to kill the boy until the last step of the plan is in play." Hazel replied.

Salem rolled her eyes and tightened her grip on her armrest. "Very well. No matter what, I want that man _eliminated."_

"Yes, mistress." Hazel bowed slightly.

"Did Mercury mention his name?" Salem asked.

"He only reported his last name: Joestar."

. . .

"And the randomization process…begins! Penny Polendina versus…Pyrrha Nikos!" Professor Port announced, and the two red heads stepped out onto the stage. Jonathan, Ren, Nora, and team SSSN cheered for Pyrrha. Only Sun knew Penny, and even then, he didn't know her very well. And little did they know, a small battle was going on between Ruby Rose and Mercury Black in the halls behind the seats.

"Sal-u-tations, Pyrrha Nikos! It's an honor to finally meet you!" Penny waved to Pyrrha. The Spartan cast her eyes down sadly and looked at her own hands.

"Start the countdown!" Port announced, and the countdown timer appeared on the large screens.

 _ **(I'mma level with you guys here, I don't want to retell this fight scene. Everything would be the same as usual, and it honestly pains me to have to type out Penny's death. So, like the other fights that would stay the exact same, I'm just going to skip ahead.)**_

"This is not a tragedy." Cinder's voice rang through the colosseum as a black chess piece with a red background appeared on all the screens throughout the stadium. This was _not_ an accident. This is what happens when you hand over your trust. Your safety. Your children. To men who claim to be our guardians. But are in reality…nothing more than men. Our academies' headmasters wield more power than most armies, and one was audacious enough to control both. They cling to this power in the name of peace, and yet, what do we have here? One nation's attempt at a synthetic army, mercilessly torn apart by another's star pupil. What need would Atlas have a soldier for disguised as a little girl? I don't think the Grimm can tell the difference. And what, I ask you, is Ozpin teaching his students? First a dismemberment, now this? Huntsmen and huntresses should carry themselves with honor and mercy, yet I have witnessed neither. Perhaps Ozpin thought defeating Atlas in the tournament would help people to forget his colossal failure to protect Vale when Grimm invaded its streets. Or perhaps, this message was to the tyrannical dictator that has occupied an unsuspecting kingdom with armed forces. Honestly? I haven't the slightest clue as to who is right and who is wrong. But I know that the existence of peace is fragile, and the leaders of our kingdoms conduct their business with iron gloves. As someone who hails from Mistral, I can assure you; the situation there is…equally undesirable. Our kingdoms are at the brink of war, yet we, the citizens, are left in the dark. So I ask you, when the first shots are fired, who do you think you can trust?"

The red screens then blinked off and the lights in the colosseum flickered.

"What the devil…?" Jonathan asked himself. Then, extremely loud sirens began to echo across Vale, making the audience in the stadium to look around with distressed expressions.

"Alert. Incoming Grimm attack. Threat level: nine. Please seek shelter in a calm and orderly manner." A monotone female voice said over the loudspeaker. But of course, no one did that. The crowd erupted in panicked screams, save for the hunters and huntresses, then ran towards the ship docks as uncalmly and unorderly as possible.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please, there is no need for panic!" Ironwood's voice spoke through the speakers. Then, a giant Nevermore landed on top of the colosseum's forcefield and screeched loudly. It immediately began to peck and stomp on it, trying to break through the barrier.

"How did that Nevermore get past the kingdom's defenses?!" Sun asked as he stood up.

"It wasn't alone." Ren replied as he gazed up at the large Grimm.

"We have to help!" Jonathan exclaimed as he reached for his sword, but only grabbed air. His weapon was in his locker, along with his other tools.

"What's going on?!" Coco appeared out of nowhere.

"We're under attack!" Nora replied.

"No shit! But _what_ is going on? That woman that spoke over the speaker, what was up with that?" Coco said.

"I have a feeling we're about to find out." Ren replied to the leader of team CFVY.

Jonathan glanced down to Pyrrha still recovering from the shock of what happened to Penny, then at the Nevermore still attacking the shield.

"Pyrrha! You have to move, that thing's about to break through the aura shield!" Jaune called to his teammate, gripping the railing tightly.

With one final strike, the shield dissipated, and the Grimm flew straight into the colosseum. Jaune leapt over the railing, landing on his feet on the stage, then ran towards Pyrrha.

Jonathan gritted his teeth and did the same, albeit more calmly.

"Pyrrha! Snap out of it, that Nevermore's almost-!" Jaune called, but the large bird Grimm landing on the ground interrupted him. The sheer impact from it caused Pyrrha, Jaune, and Jonathan to fly backwards from the wind created by the Nevermore's wings. JoJo quickly regained his footing and sprinted towards Pyrrha, who was laying on the ground, staring at the Nevermore.

The large Grimm pounced towards Pyrrha in her exposed state, but was suddenly blown backwards!

Ruby flew out of nowhere, embedding one of Penny's swords into its chest and saving Pyrrha. Jonathan grinned at the sight of the red-clad girl and continued running towards the Nevermore. The Grimm recovered quickly and screeched at Ruby, who landed on the ground holding Penny's sword at her side. Before it could attack once more, Jonathan leapt towards the beast with his fist raised.

" **Kooooooh!** Take this you giant chicken! **Scarlet Overdrive!"** He shouted as his fist delivered a fierce uppercut to the Grimm, sprawling it onto its back as the burning-red Hamon spread throughout its body.

As soon as Jonathan's feet touched the ground, the Nevermore beat its large wings and went in for another attack. However, as soon as it left the ground, dozens of metal objects rained from the sky and landed either on the stage or the Nevermore's exposed back.

The beast slid to a halt on its belly, half a dozen lockers protruding from its back. Said lockers' doors hissed open, revealing the weapons hidden inside. JNPR, SSSN, and CFVY retrieved their various weapons and joined Ruby and Pyrrha. Even a few students from the other academies stood with them.

Jonathan smirked at the fellow hunters and huntresses, but that smirk quickly faded when the Nevermore began to move. The students on its back leapt into action, slicing and hitting it while they had the chance.

"Yah!" Ren shouted as he sliced his weapons across its beak. Nora swung her hammer, slamming the weapon into the Grimm's head and sending it downwards with a pink explosion from her hammer's grenade launcher. Yatsuhashi and Sage shouted as they fell towards the beast, slicing at its back and neck with their combined swords.

Jonathan sprinted towards the Nevermore's head, allowing Hamon to spark along his fists as he approached it.

"Overdrive!" He shouted as he delivered a double-fisted punch to the Grimm's face. The Nevermore let out a pained screech as its body began to disintegrate from the combined forces of the students and JoJo's potent Hamon.

As soon as the beast was gone, Pyrrha looked up with tears in her eyes. "Ruby, I-…I'm so sorry."

"Me too, but it wasn't your fault." Ruby replied.

"She's right." Jaune said as he approached the kneeling red head, her weapons in his hands. "Whoever was on the microphone, they're the ones who did this. And we have to make sure they don't take anyone else." Jaune said as he held Pyrrha's sword and shield out. The young prodigy took her weapons, then Jaune, Ruby, and Jonathan looked back at the group of students behind them. Then, a large group of Griffons landed on the edge of the colosseum, roaring down at the hunters and huntresses.

"Anybody got a plan of attack?" Neptune asked nervously.

"I have a plan: attack." JoJo replied as he raised his fists, yellow Hamon aura emanating from his body.

"I say we listen to the glowing man." Neon put in.

"Sun, I need your scroll." Ruby said.

"Just don't break it, will ya?" Sun smirked and tossed the device to her. Ruby turned around and typed in a short code, then soon after, a pair of lockers landed several feet in front of her. "Went ahead and called yours too, JoJo." Ruby said to the Joestar. Jonathan grinned and approached the lockers with Ruby at his side as they hissed open like the others did.

As soon they neared them, a Griffon landed on top of Ruby's, but was immediately shot down. The pair turned around to find professors Oobleck and Port standing nearby.

"Students, I think it's best that you leave." Port said as he rested his blunderbuss-axe on his shoulder.

"But-" Jonathan began.

"Mister Joestar. Today will surely go down in Remnant's history. I would prefer if my students lived to tell about it." Oobleck interrupted.

JoJo gave a quick nod, then Ruby retrieved Crescent Rose.

"Let's go!" she announced, then the students began to run for the airship docks.

"Hold on a second!" Jonathan exclaimed as he madly put his pack onto his back and grabbed his sword. After a quick decision, the Joestar put on a dark brown cloak around his shoulders that reached down to his knees. He quickly put his sword strap on his shoulder, then ran after his allies.

"Mister Joestar." Port said, and Jonathan stopped to look at the professor.

"Do be careful."

Jonathan nodded in response, then continued towards Ruby and the others, his cloak whipping in the wind.

"Hey there, big guy!" A familiar voice said next to him. Jonathan glanced to his left to see a familiar white-haired huntress with purple eyes running beside him.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"You think I'm gonna run off without making sure everyone was with me like the others did? You may have just kicked my ass in the tournament, but leaving people behind isn't an option, is it- uh, what's your name again?" She replied.

"Jonathan Joestar."

"Right! So let's go and defend the city, eh? This party's just gettin' started!" Sera replied with a smirk. Jonathan chuckled in response as they reached the others at the docks.

 _ **I decided that since all the other known teams in the tournament, I'd have to use an original team. So that's what I did! Say hello to my favorite OC Sera. I'd been working on another RWBY story featuring her as the main character, which is why writing these chapters took so long to get around to, but I gotta say I'm proud of how she turned out! Her personality is a bit of mix between Joseph Joestar and Dante from Devil May Cry (main series, not the DMC reboot) and her team is inspired by Greek gods and Titans, which is why she has an Omega symbol in so many places. I hope no one minds the addition of her being in here for just a chapter or two, because I really enjoy writing her and coming up with funny one-liners and mannerisms that Dante and Joseph would use.**_

 _ **For Magnus, I never really noticed how similar his weapons and armor were to Pyrrha until writing the fight against Jonathan. If you're a Greek mythology nut and Percy Jackson fan like I am, you probably noticed that Magnus appears similar to most of Athena/Minerva's children. Also his shield, Aegis, which is a reference to the shield that Zeus gave to Athena. Or was it the other way around? It's been awhile so get off my back guys, jeez! (JK Ily)**_

 _ **If you played Eyes of Heaven, you probably recognized the "punching angle" line. It was a direct reference to Jotaro and Jolyne's unique Duel Heat Attack.**_

 _ **Man, this chapter was a doozy to write! I'm excited that I'm finally getting to the main battle of Vol. 3, and I've already come up with a ton of ideas for what Jonathan is going to do during it. And no, he's not going to magically appear on the roof for, ahem, Pyrrha's passing. He'll be doing his part to help (attempt to) drive away the Grimm.**_

 _ **If anyone has any funny or generally good ideas for the final battle (of this volume), feel free to let me know! While I do have a general outline of what I'm going to write, I want to make this fight particularly memorable. See you next time for *choking back a sob* Pyrrha's death.**_


	11. Chapter 11: The Fall of Beacon

Ruby led her fellow students straight to the Bullhead airships that awaited them in the stadium's docks. As soon as they made it there, the hunters and huntresses in training were met by General James Ironwood, who had just single-handedly taken down an Alpha Beowolf.

Jonathan stepped forward towards the general and put his hands out slightly, "General, what's going on?"

Ironwood silently gazed at each of the students, "Grimm are crawling all over the city, the White Fang has invaded Beacon and, to make matters worse, some…Vagabond has seized one of my ships. Until we regain command, the city and everyone in it are in extreme danger and the skies are out of control. So I'm going to **take it back."** He replied, then turned around to board his airship.

"What do we do?" Ruby asked.

Ironwood halted, then turned around to face them again, resting his hands behind his back. "You have two choices: Defend your kingdom and your school, or save yourselves. No one will fault you if you leave. This is a dangerous situation, and honestly, not everyone is going to survive it." James said, his expression softening.

"Well I'm not going anywhere." Jonathan stepped forward.

"Me either." Flynt Coal adjusted his fedora by moving his fingers along the brim.

"Neither are we." Sun pounded his fist into his open palm.

"We're not?" Gavin, er- I mean, **Scarlet** said.

"No, we're _not"_ Neptune replied.

"Fine, fine. We're not." Scarlet groaned.

Ironwood chuckled and shook his head, then his expression hardened as he turned around and continued up the docking ramp. "Let's move out!" He told his soldiers.

After the General's airship took off, Sun shrugged, "I mean, come on- We can take a ship to Beacon!" He said, then he and the others took off towards the remaining airships, leaving Ruby to stand and watch Ironwood's ship as it got farther and farther away.

. . .

Jonathan anxiously gripped the support rails on the inside of the airship as he watched a large on-fire airship sailing on a direct course for the ground.

The explosion rocked the small airship they were inside of, and Ruby held her hand over her mouth with wide eyes.

"Well _that's_ not good." Sera noted.

Ruby suddenly took off, sprinting towards the back of the airship with a determined look in her eyes.

"Ruby, what're you doing?!" Sun exclaimed, but it was too late, she was gone. Before any of them could even think about chasing her, she'd already leapt off of the airship and back onto the colosseum. After a few short moments, Jonathan saw a rectangular metal object flying upwards, a red and black wearing form hanging onto it.

"Is she riding a _locker?!"_ Coco exclaimed as they watched Ruby soar towards one of Ironwood's large ships.

"We have to go help her!" Neptune said with wide eyes.

"No." Jonathan announced, making all eyes turn to him. "I have faith in Ruby's ability to handle herself in a fight. If she didn't think she could handle it, she wouldn't have left." He continued as he walked towards the front of the airship. "Now, I may not be from around here, much like most of you, but we have a duty to uphold: protect those who cannot protect themselves. Beacon is defenseless, they need our help down there. If any of you were going to leave, you would've done it by now, and it's certainly not like me to just _**run away**_ from a fight! Most of you may not reside in Vale, but I ask you to defend it as if it were your own home." Jonathan said as he raised his tightened fist at the front of the airship.

"He's right." Flynt said after Jonathan's speech.

"Duh! Now let's get down there." Neon replied.

"Hell yeah! I wouldn't miss this fight for the world." Sera grinned as she twirled her old-fashioned revolver on her finger.

"Cool it, Buffalo Bill, this is a serious situation." Sun shot back.

"Yeah, yeah whatever, Monkey Man." Sera replied as she holstered the gun.

"Calm yourselves, people. Fight the Grimm and White Fang, not each other." Jonathan announced.

"What do we do when we get down there?" Velvet asked.

Jonathan turned his eyes to the rabbit Faunus with a determined gleam in his eyes, "We fight." He said as the airship touched down in Beacon's courtyard.

"We'll follow your lead, JoJo." Pyrrha told him. Jonathan nodded in response, then slammed the button to open the landing ramp with his fist.

. . .

The courtyard was filled with enemies. Grimm, White Fang, _and_ Atlas robots that had apparently turned against the hunters and huntresses. Jonathan and the others from the airship scattered to combat the opposition, but with everything they took down, twice as many took their place.

"Zoom Punch! Scarlet Overdrive! Turquoise Blue Overdrive! Metal Silver OVERDRIVE!" Jonathan shouted as he suddenly unsheathed his sword, filling it with Hamon, then cleaving an Ursa Major in two. The Joestar had seen Weiss and Blake as soon as he stepped out of the ship, but the two split up and ran in opposite directions before he could call out.

"Watch it!" Jaune exclaimed, and Jonathan turned around to see the knight slice a Beowolf apart before it could pounce on JoJo from behind.

"My thanks!" Jonathan told him before kicking an Atlas android, removing its head.

A loud hiss erupted through the courtyard, then Jonathan and Jaune turned around to see a massive Deathstalker making its way into the courtyard.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me!" Jaune groaned.

"That is a big one." Jonathan gaped at the beast. It was easily twice the size of any he'd seen before, and battle scars decorated its natural white armor. A large scar was even across one of its two bigger eyes, and part of the tip of its right claw was gone.

"Can we take that thing?" Jaune asked, raising his sword and shield.

"Probably not." Jonathan replied.

"That isn't helping!" Jaune exclaimed.

"Whether we can or not, here it comes…!" Jonathan raised his sword as the Deathstalker drew nearer.

"Ah, crap!" Jaune whined.

"NORA SMASH!" a high-pitched voice shouted, then a flash of pink suddenly collided with the Deathstalker's head. Nora grinned as she slammed her hammer into the Grimm's skull, then pulled the trigger on her weapon, blasting a grenade directly into its head.

The beast screeched in pain and retreated back several feet, then Nora promptly landed in front of the two boys.

"Are you gonna stand there or are you gonna FIGHT?!" Nora said with an eager grin, then leapt towards the Deathstalker once more.

"Uh… Right!" Jaune said, then ran towards the Grimm, leaping towards it and slicing its head with his sword. Jonathan chuckled at Nora's general personality, then ran towards the large Grimm.

He leapt into the air and brought his sword down, swinging it as hard as he could and transferring Hamon into the blade. **"METAL SILVER OVERDRIVE!"** The Joestar shouted, slicing into the Deathstalker's skull and causing it to screech in pain.

The Deathstalker tried to swipe at JoJo with its large claw before he could defend himself, but something suddenly sliced at the base of it. The Deathstalker once again screeched in pain as its claw landed on the ground, black blood splattering beside it.

Sera Purpura landed on the ground in front of Jonathan, her large sword rested on her shoulder and a smirk on her lips.

She proceeded to send a flurry of strikes to the Grimm's face, the white bone beginning to chip and crack from the intensity of the blows. Jaune went to work trying to sever its other claw, then Jonathan glared at the large Grimm and leapt towards it, brandishing his sword. "YAAARGH!" Jonathan shouted as he brought down his weapon towards its skull.

. . .

Professor Ozpin scowled as he stood from his desk and grabbed his cane, walking towards the elevator. However, before he could get inside the lift, the tower shook. He stumbled slightly and turned towards the large windows in his office, towards Mountain Glenn.

"No…" He thought aloud.

The large mountain began to crumble, sending small tremors through the land.

"It can't be…!" His eyes widened and the grip on his cane tightened.

. . .

"TAKE THIS, YOU BIG BUG!" Jaune shouted as he impaled his sword in the Deathstalker's skull. Jonathan gritted his teeth and jumped towards the beast's tail, slicing at the thick flesh with all his strength.

The stinger and nearly half of the Deathstalker's tail landed on the ground with a dull thud, and the Grimm shrieked so loudly that the nearby hunters and huntresses had to cover their ears.

"JACKPOT!" Sera shouted, her form visible a few dozen feet in the air above the Deathstalker. She grinned, then slammed her sword downwards and into the Grimm's skull. The weapon sank hilt-deep into hits head and its screech stopped abruptly, the glow fading from its red eyes as it slowly disintegrated into darkness.

Sera retrieved her weapon and smiled broadly as she walked towards Jaune and Jonathan, resting her sword on her shoulder.

"Now that was _fun"_ She said to the pair.

Jonathan was about to reply, but the ground suddenly shook.

"Whoa…!" Jaune exclaimed while trying, and failing, to maintain his footing.

"What was that?!" Sun called from across the courtyard once the tremor stopped.

"No idea!" Nora called back.

The sounds of rock breaking could be heard in the distance, and all eyes turned to look at it. Even the White Fang stopped to look at the source.

Jonathan's eyes widened as he watched the scene unfold. The mountain cracked and pieces began to fall from the summit, then a large body mass could be seen crawling out.

"What the…?" Jaune asked.

"Is that…a dragon?!" Coco exclaimed, her massive machine gun dipping slightly.

"OH MY GOD!" Jonathan put his hands on the sides of his face.

The Wyvern Grimm roared loudly into the sky, then began to beat its wings powerfully, slowly lifting its body into the sky.

The students raised their weapons in a heroic attempt to look brave. Jaune and Pyrrha glanced at each other with small smiles on their faces, but Pyrrha's expression faltered when she saw Professor Ozpin standing at the entrance of Beacon Tower.

The red head's face turned to one of dread as she walked towards the headmaster.

"Where is she going?" Nora asked. Jaune gritted his teeth and ran after his teammate.

"Jaune!" Ren called after him, but the knight only turned his head and shouted, "Hold them off, I'm going to see what Pyrrha and Ozpin are doing!"

"Come on!" Nora put her hand on Ren's shoulder, gesturing to the fight that was now going on between most of the students and an Atlas Paladin.

Velvet had just been knocked aside by the robot's fist when Ren and Nora reached the skirmish.

"Velvet!" Coco shouted then began firing at the enemy.

Jonathan Joestar gripped his sword tighter and channeled Hamon into the blade, yellow energy sparking along the weapon.

However, before he could charge the robot, Weiss appeared out of nowhere and raised her arms up to protect the rabbit Faunus. Everyone's eyes widened as they saw the almost white light-blue armored arm that protruded from one of the heiress's glyphs, a large sword blocking the Paladin's attack. Weiss seemed just as surprised when the arm swung its sword against the Atlas mech, cleaving it in two as if it were butter. The arm dissipated into light, leaving Weiss standing there with a shocked expression on her face.

Another Paladin appeared a few hundred feet away, its gaze fixated on the students.

"Oh, come on!" Sun groaned. The Paladin immediately sprinted towards them, and the students raised their weapons to counter attack. But before the machine could even reach them, the lights throughout its body flickered off, and it fell face-first on the concrete as if it had been shut off.

"Huh. That was a lot easier than expected." Sun noted.

Jonathan blew out a puff of air and leaned onto his sword, which was lightly embedded in the ground.

"Weiss!" a familiar voice called. "You're okay!"

JoJo turned to see Yang running towards them.

"Have you heard from Ruby?" she asked Weiss, who shook her head in response. "What about Blake?"

Weiss then pointed at a direction in front of her, "She went after an Alpha and some members of the White Fang."

"You look for Ruby, I'll meet up with Blake." Yang said, then turned towards where Weiss pointed. "JoJo? You comin'?" She asked the Englishman.

Jonathan shook his head in response and pulled his sword out of the ground. "I think not, Yang. I'm sure you can handle yourself just fine, I'm going to keep helping out here and drive out the Grimm."

Yang nodded and started to run off, but Jonathan put a hand on her shoulder. The blond looked over her shoulder to look at the Joestar's softened expression.

"Just be careful, alright?" He told her. Yang smirked in response. "Don't worry, JoJo." She then made a show of readying Ember Celica, the sound of the shotguns cocking very audible. "I'm armed." She said, then ran towards where Blake was after Jonathan released her shoulder.

"What now?" Scarlet asked.

"Now we drive these monsters out of our home." Weiss said almost angrily.

"Right. Sun, take Sera and your team and see if you can find Qrow anywhere. Weiss, go with Flynt, Neon, and CFVY to clear out the rest of the courtyard. Nora and Ren, lead the other foreign students to the other side of campus. We have to secure Beacon before we can move on to the city!" Jonathan gave out the orders.

"Right! But…What are you going to do?" Sun asked.

Jonathan sheathed his sword and turned to the monkey Faunus. "I'm going to go help Pyrrha and Jaune. If my hunch is right, they're going to need it."

Sun nodded in response, then began to gather his team and the Shade student, Sera. "You heard him people, move out!"

The students rushed to carry out their given orders, obeying Jonathan as if he was all of their teams' leader. Once the hunters and huntresses were gone, Jonathan exhaled and walked towards Beacon Tower's entrance. Before he pushed the doors open, a loud roar echoed through the courtyard, and he immediately looked up to see the Wyvern Grimm landing on top of the tower.

Jonathan gritted his teeth and ran through the door and to the elevator. _'Something has to be done about that dragon!'_

. . .

As soon as JoJo reached the underground vault, he sprinted out of the elevator and towards where Amber resided. He could see Jaune and Ozpin and could faintly make out the red of Pyrrha's hair in the pod, and also a familiar girl in a red dress holding a…

"No!" Jonathan shouted, but it was too late. Cinder let loose her arrow, and it impaled Amber in the chest. The orange aura flickered from Amber's body as her eyes closed and the final breath left her body.

Jonathan had only seen this girl once before, and that was when he and Pyrrha were down here the first time. She didn't know him, and he didn't know her, but when he saw an innocent girl be shot in such a vulnerable state with no way of defending herself, something snapped.

"YAAARGH!" He shouted as he grabbed the girl in front of him by the shoulder, spinning her around and delivering several powerful punches to her torso and face. "Sunlight…Yellow… **OVERDRIVE…!"** He yelled as potent yellow Hamon sparked from his fists, delivering a very angry barrage of blows to the woman. However, what he didn't see was the amber-colored aura that shot from Amber's body and into Cinder.

Jonathan was blown back as Cinder blasted aura out around her. After Jonathan regained his footing, he looked up to see orange aura blazing from Cinder's eyes as she floated in the air. He instantly recognized her from their few conversations during and between classes, but all fondness he had for her left him immediately. However, when she saw the face of Jonathan, her eyes widened.

She didn't know _how_ to feel about this. On one hand, her mission was clear. On the other, JoJo stood in the way of that.

"How _dare_ you shoot that girl while she was in such a vulnerable state? What is _wrong_ with you? She couldn't even defend herself!" Jonathan tightened his jaw.

"Jonathan, take Jaune and get out of here, _now!"_ Ozpin ordered, but the Joestar didn't listen.

"I-" Cinder began as her feet touched the floor and the aura disappeared from her eyes.

" _Shut up."_ Jonathan growled. He'd only felt this white-hot fury once before, and that was when he'd learned that his step brother had committed such a heinous act against Erina.

Pyrrha then broke out of the cryo pod via her polarity semblance and called her weapons to her. She would've leapt into action, but Ozpin put his arm out and stopped her.

"Take Jaune and leave! Find Glynda, Qrow, anyone! Bring them here right away! The tower **cannot** fall!" He told her.

"But-" Pyrrha said.

"Now!" Ozpin ordered. After a moment's hesitation, Pyrrha nodded, picked Jaune up, then the two of them ran past Cinder and Jonathan, towards the elevator.

"Mister Joestar, go with them." Ozpin said with a calm fury.

"With all due respect, headmaster, I'd like to teach this traitor a lesson." Jonathan said coldly.

"Go! Without an aura, there's no chance you'll survive! You'll only get in the way." Ozpin yelled.

Cinder gritted her teeth. She wasn't even sure _why_ she'd become infatuated with this young man. He may have been extremely kind and friendly in the past, but the past few minutes with him made her _mad._ Cinder then raised her hand and allowed fire to dance between her fingers. She'd been ordered to eliminate the one from another world, and she was finally going to do just that.

With an angry yell, she blasted the fire in Jonathan's direction.

The Joestar had been so caught off guard and distracted by his anger, it gave him no time to dodge or somehow block the blow. Instead, he raised his arms in a hopeless attempt to defend himself.

"No!" Ozpin yelled with genuine fear in his voice.

Cinder smirked as the ball of fire collided with Jonathan, creating a miniature explosion and engulfing the young man in flame.

Ozpin's eyes were wide as he stared at the explosion. Then Cinder turned to face him with a smirk on her lips. "That's another objective out of the way. Now, to finish you off, Ozpin."

"I think not." Jonathan's voice said from behind her.

 _ **(Cue the badass music that plays when Jonathan does something awesome in Phantom Blood.) ( watch?v=F7wnG-loPlY)**_

Cinder's eyes widened as she turned around quickly to find the flames disappearing, leaving Jonathan to stand there, his arms at his sides and his fists clenched.

"Wha- How?! He said you have no aura!" Cinder's eyes narrowed once the initial confusion faded. Jonathan smirked, then looked down at his own hands. He could see a faint yellow outline around his body, and from watching others fight for so long in this world, he instantly knew it was aura.

He looked up and glared directly at Cinder. Even his eyes seemed to faintly glow yellow. Ozpin only stared at the Joestar and gripped his cane tighter.

"Jonathan, the others need your help. While I'm overjoyed that you unlocked your aura in such a perilous time, I can handle this woman. Go find Qrow and team RWBY and flee the city, there's…there's no reason you have to go down with me." Ozpin told JoJo calmly.

"Professor, I can help-" Jonathan turned his gaze to Ozpin, the yellow aura fading from his body and eyes.

"Just go! Trust me." Ozpin replied. Although he very strongly didn't want to, Jonathan gave a short nod and turned to run towards the elevator.

Before Cinder could blast Jonathan again, Ozpin leapt into action and began to swing his cane at the new Fall Maiden.

"Argh! Why you insufferable litte…!" Cinder growled.

"Jonathan! I'll see you soon." Ozpin said after he hit Cinder in the back of the head. JoJo turned around to see the headmaster giving him a small smile and a two-fingered salute.

Jonathan nodded in response, then sprinted for the elevator, intent on finding his friends.

. . .

Ruby Rose's eyes widened when Weiss stepped aside to reveal Yang and Blake laying on the ground. Yang was unconscious, her right arm severed at the elbow with Blake holding her remaining hand, tears in the Faunus's eyes.

Ruby almost shed a few tears of her own, but she clenched her fists tightly and tightened her jaw.

"Where are JoJo and the others?" Ruby asked.

"Right here!" Jonathan announced as he neared his allies. The others turned around to see the Joestar slowing himself to a halt beside Ruby.

"What's wron-? Oh." Jonathan said once he saw Yang and Blake. "Who… Who did this?" He asked, a dangerous tone to his voice.

"We don't know. And we don't know where Jaune and Pyrrha are." Weiss replied.

"They haven't returned yet?" JoJo asked.

"No."

Jonathan sighed and ran his fingers through his dark hair.

"I'll find them." Ruby stated, causing JoJo to look up at the girl. "I'll find them, and I'll bring them back."

"No. _We_ will find them." Weiss said.

"I agree, there's no way I'm allowing you to go alone." Jonathan told them.

"No offense, JoJo, but I doubt you can keep up with Ruby's speed." Weiss said, gesturing to the tower.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Ruby asked, her eyes moving up the tower.

"The very same." Weiss replied with a sly smirk.

"I'm going anyway!" Jonathan crossed his arms, refusing to budge. Weiss rolled her eyes then looked at Sun, "We'll be back." Then, Weiss, Ruby, and Jonathan ran towards the tower.

"Ugh, you better be!" Sun called after them.

' _I know Ruby's semblance makes her fast, but I'm sure I could keep up with- OH MY GOD!'_ Jonathan thought to himself, then Ruby suddenly disappeared in a flurry of rose petals as white glyphs appeared on the side of the tower, leading all the way to the top.

"Go!" Weiss called to Ruby as she made her way up the tower, running at a ninety-degree angle.

"What're we supposed to do now? There's no way the elevators are working!" Jonathan told Weiss.

The heiress crossed her arms as she stared up at Ruby's red form. "All we can do is wait." Jonathan was about to say more, but then his scroll began to ring. His eyes widened once he saw the caller I.D. "Jaune, where are you?!"

"It doesn't matter! You have to stop her!" Jaune yelled through the phone.

"Wha-? Jaune, stop who?" Jonathan asked.

"Pyrrha! She's going after that woman at the top of the tower! She doesn't stand a chance!" Jaune replied.

Jonathan's eyes widened, "Ruby's going to the top now!"

"No…No, no! Jonathan! You have to stop them!" Jaune yelled, his voice starting to break.

"Jaune, where are you?" Weiss asked calmly.

"DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME!" He yelled loudly. "Please…you have to save them."

"Jaune, we will. I promise." Jonathan replied.

"Are you okay? _Where_ are y-?" Weiss asked again, but was interrupted by Jaune hanging up suddenly.

Jonathan looked to the top of the tower and gritted his teeth. "They don't stand a chance against that woman."

"What do you mean?" Weiss asked, then the Grimm Wyvern roared again as it circled the top of the tower.

"Make those glyphs again, I have to get up there!" Jonathan told the heiress. She looked like she wanted to protest, but did as he said.

Once the white glyphs were formed, Jonathan tightened his jaw and ran at the wall. He stepped onto the first glyph and stood at a ninety-degree angle. But before he could run up the wall like Ruby did, he promptly fell.

"You dolt, you can't stay still; you have to keep moving or they lose their ability." Weiss rolled her eyes. Jonathan got to his feet and looked up the tower with a scowl on his face.

"DAMN IT!" He punched the wall, his fist creating a shallow crater in the concrete.

Before he could remove his hand and try again, something suddenly pushed his head down roughly, as if someone had stepped on his head.

JoJo looked up quickly to see Qrow running up the wall glyphs, sword in hand. Hope filled in the Joestar's chest and a broad grin broke on his face.

"Go get her, Qrow!" Jonathan cheered, then the unexpected happened. A bright white light erupted from the top of the tower, and the Grimm Wyvern suddenly halted all movement. In fact, if it wasn't nighttime, JoJo and Weiss would be able to see the beast suddenly turn grey, as if it were made out of stone.

" _What_ was that?" Weiss asked, her eyes widening.

Jonathan said nothing in response, his eyes glues to the dimming light.

. . .

After a solid ten minutes, Qrow kicked open the door of Beacon Tower, an unconscious Ruby Rose in his arms.

"Qrow!" Jonathan exclaimed and approached Ruby and her uncle.

"Hey, kid." Qrow said, his eyes downcast on Ruby's face. After a moment, Jonathan looked around. "Where's Pyrrha?" He asked, looking behind Qrow as if she were hiding behind him.

Without looking up, Qrow gave a single shake of his head, and the world around JoJo crumbled.

"W-What?" Weiss asked, tears forming in her eyes.

Jonathan stared at the ground with wide eyes, his fists shaking angrily. "This can't be." He said shakily.

"I'm sorry, kiddo. There was nothing I could do." Qrow replied sadly. JoJo looked up at the man. He wanted to get angry. He wanted to punch Qrow in the face and demand why he hadn't saved her. But the look in the scythe wielder's eyes said it all.

"Come on. We'd better go tell your friends." Qrow said, then proceeded to walk in the direction of where Sun and the others were.

. . .

No one reacted well to the news that Qrow brought. Especially Jaune. However, after it was all said and done, Qrow and Jonathan loaded what remained of team JNPR and the unconscious Ruby and Yang onto an airship. By time they were ready to take off, Sun and Blake were nowhere to be found. Much to everyone's dismay, Atlas soldiers took Weiss away and loaded her onto a separate airship. Apparently, her father was taking her back to Atlas. Jonathan wanted to fight to keep his friend at his side, but there was nothing he could do. Neptune and the rest of team SSSN said their goodbyes and reluctantly left, boarding another airship that would take them back to Mistral.

Beacon was in ruin. The city of Vale was overrun with Grimm. And to top it all off, team RWBY was scattered. Neither Qrow nor Jonathan knew what would happen next, only that their situation was extremely dire.

Inside the Bullhead airship, Qrow and Jonathan sat opposite to each other. Ruby and Weiss were asleep, strapped into the seats on either side of their uncle.

"What do we do now?" Jonathan asked, his eyes never leaving the floor.

"Honestly? I don't know, kid. Ozpin's missing, Vale and Beacon are lost, and the new Fall Maiden is the one person we _didn't_ want to gain that power: Amber's assailant. Until I can think of something to do, I'm taking my nieces back home. To Patch." Qrow replied, sighing as he rested his hand on Ruby's arm.

Jonathan nodded in response and leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. Then, his eyes widened and he stood abruptly.

"Oh no! This is terrible!" Jonathan exclaimed, putting his hands on the sides of his face.

"Calm down, JoJo. What's wrong?" Qrow asked.

"This is awful! It's inconceivable! I can't believe it! My… All my **clothes** are back in my dorm!" Jonathan yelled.

Qrow blinked. "You have got to be kidding me."

"The horror!" Jonathan said melodramatically.

"Kid, calm down. This is honestly the least of our problems." Qrow told him.

"Yeah you're probably right. I can always get more clothes later." Jonathan said and sat down, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms.

Qrow, once again, blinked at the Joestar's odd behavior. _'That kid's attitude can change on a dime.'_

"Qrow?" Jonathan asked.

"Yeah kid?"

"What was that bright light at the top of the tower, after you went up?"

Qrow sighed and looked down at Ruby's sleeping face. "How do I put this? Ruby here is special. These silver eyes of hers? They're unique."

Jonathan raised an eye brow, then Qrow proceeded to explain to him about what the silver-eyed warriors were. Extremely skilled huntsman that have special powers, thanks to their eyes.

After the explanation, Jonathan's eyes were wide and he was gripping the edges of his seat. He looked over at Ruby's face, her head leaning onto Qrow's shoulder.

' _This adorable little girl…has that much potential? All thanks to her eyes?'_ He thought to himself.

"Now I know what you're thinking. That this isn't possible, or it's too farfetched." Qrow said to him.

Jonathan gulped, "No, I believe it. The proof was right in front of my eyes, I'd be unreasonable if I said you were wrong. It's just…how can someone so innocent, have that much to live up to?"

"Believe me, I know. Her mom was the same way." Qrow chuckled, reminiscing on past memories of Summer Rose.

After a few moments, Jonathan looked up at Qrow, "How long is it to Patch?"

"About another hour or so, why?"

"Because…I think I'm going to rest for the remainder of the flight. This has been a _long_ day…" JoJo replied.

Qrow looked like he was going to say something, but dismissed it and simply nodded. "Alright, kid. I'll wake you when we touch down."

Jonathan nodded and tried to get comfortable, despite his large form in the relatively small seats, and allowed his eyes to drift closed.

. . .

Jonathan had restless dreams. He dreamt of his childhood and everything leading up to his final fight with Dio Brando. He dreamt of all the possibilities that could've changed the outcome of his life. He could have defeated Dio, gotten more reacquainted with Erina Pendleton, and possibly even married her. Jonathan smiled in his sleep at the thought of his childhood sweetheart. They could've gotten married, had kids, and lived happily until they died of old age. No more vampires, zombies, troubles, and most importantly, no more Dio. Now, Jonathan didn't even know if he'd see Erina again. He was stuck in this alternate world, with no sure way of returning home. His dream then took a darker turn. Images of his friends in danger replaced the happy images of him and Erina. He saw Yang losing her arm and Blake getting stabbed through the abdomen, both at the hands of a man in a black suit with a red sword. A pair of small horns peeked out from his short black and red hair, and a rose symbol was on the front of his suit, where his heart was. Then, the dream faded and a new one took its place. Jonathan saw Pyrrha on he knees at the top of Beacon tower, Cinder standing several feet in front of her. A black bow formed out of dark crystals in the new Maiden's hands, and she drew the bow back, the arrow pointed at Pyrrha.

" _No…"_ Jonathan said to himself.

The arrow left the bow and impaled itself in Pyrrha's chest. Her eyes went wide and she made pained coughing sounds as Cinder approached the Spartan. Then, Cinder put her hand to Pyrrha's head, and the poor girl's body turned bright red as she disintegrated to ash. Pyrrha's circlet clattered against the floor after the ash blew away in the wind. Cinder smiled at her handiwork and turned around.

" _NO!"_ Jonathan mentally sobbed.

The dream suddenly faded, and Jonathan's eyes shot open to find Qrow shaking his shoulder.

"PYRRHA!" Jonathan exclaimed.

"Whoa, easy kid! We've arrived." Qrow said calmly.

Jonathan took deep breaths as he sat up and put his hands in his face. "I saw her."

Qrow raised an eyebrow, "Who?" But he already knew the answer.

"Pyrrha. I saw her die. And Blake getting stabbed, and Yang getting dismembered."

"Easy, Jonathan. It was just a dream." Qrow put a hand on his shoulder.

"No, it wasn't!" Jonathan looked up to meet Qrow's eyes. "It felt too real."

"Alright, it wasn't. We'll have to talk about it later. For now, let's get you inside the house. I've already helped Yang and Ruby off the ship, and the pilot's kinda anxious to get outta here. So just come inside and we'll sort this out." Qrow explained calmly.

"Yeah…Alright." Jonathan said as he stood, retrieved his sword, then headed towards the exit ramp with Qrow beside him.

' _It couldn't have been just a dream…'_ He thought to himself.

. . .

Jonathan set down his cup of coffee after taking a sip. He'd just explained his recent dreams to Qrow and Yang and Ruby's father, Taiyang Xiao Long. He also decided to tell him about his origins, and that he'd recently unlocked his aura. Although, the aura part was mainly for Qrow.

" _You must be Jonathan Joestar. I've heard much about you from my daughters."_ Taiyang said to him when he and Qrow entered the house. Taiyang extended his hand towards JoJo, which he promptly shook.

" _Pleased to meet you, Mr. Xiao Long. I'm…I'm sorry about what happened to Yang. I wasn't there to protect her."_ Jonathan had apologized.

" _Yeah…It's a tragedy, but definitely not your fault. In fact, I'm glad you were there to help. Yang tells me you're quite the fighter."_ Taiyang replied.

" _Maybe, but nowhere near as good as your daughters."_ Jonathan chuckled lightly.

" _You're just being modest, even Qrow's bragged about your combat prowess. Now, how about we get you inside? A fresh pot of coffee is just waiting for us!" Tai smiled kindly._

And so, that's where they are now. Jonathan gazed at the table, waiting for the two to process what he'd told them.

"Wait, you're from another _world?_ Qrow, you're not messin' with me, are you?" Tai asked.

"Normally? Yes, but not this time. It's the truth, Tai. But that's old news. _Don't_ tell anyone, not even Ruby and Yang. JoJo, you're telling me you _actually_ unlocked your aura, and are dreaming about events you weren't even present for? Tai, you think that could be his semblance or somethin'?" Qrow asked.

"Possibly, but that's an extremely unique one. Don't think I've heard of a 'psychic' semblance before. You're quite the interesting man, Jonathan." Tai said.

Jonathan nodded in response, then turned his attention to the mug in his hands.

"We'll uh…We'll leave you alone for a minute, kid. I've gotta go check on Yang and Ruby, and Qrow has some explaining to do for Ruby." Taiyang said as he stood. Qrow sighed and stood with him, and Jonathan remained sitting. He'd already known what Qrow had to tell Ruby, and he wasn't eager to hear it again.

. . .

After Jonathan finished off his cup of coffee, he stood, pushed the chair in, washed out his empty mug, then began to climb upstairs.

He sighed as he reached the top of the staircase, the events at Beacon still fresh on his mind.

"-Then what can I do? If I'm so special, then I can help. Right?" He heard Ruby's voice inside a room to his right. He then heard Qrow sigh, "You really wanna help? Get some rest. You're in no condition to go anywhere right now. Besides, our enemy's trail leads all the way to Haven. That'd be quite a trip event for a pipsqueak like you. Catch ya later, kiddo." Qrow said, then Jonathan heard the sound of footsteps and Qrow stepped through the doorway.

"Jonathan." He said when he saw the Englishman standing at the top of the stairwell. "Ruby's just in there if you wanna see her."

Jonathan nodded and approached the doorway. "I'll do just that."

Qrow then put a hand on Jonathan's shoulder. "She's gonna want to leave to go to Haven, probably with some excuse about finishing her training. Don't go with her, say you're going to make your own way or somethin' like that." He said in a low voice. Jonathan raised an eyebrow in response, "Why?"

Qrow then sighed and glanced down slightly, "I'll explain later. We're gonna be tailing her anyway, so don't worry." Jonathan only nodded in response, then entered the bedroom.

Ruby's eyes widened when she saw the large Englishman approach her bed, tears slightly forming in her eyes.

"JoJo! Wh- What're you doing here?"

"Hey, Rubes." Jonathan smiled kindly and sat in the chair that he assumed Qrow was sitting in while he was in here. "Who do you think helped your uncle carry you and your sister here?"

"Oh I dunno, I kinda thought he did himself…" She replied, a small smirk on her lips.

Jonathan chuckled, then his expression turned solemn. "I…I'm sorry about Pyrrha."

Ruby's face turned sad, then she looked down at her lap. "I... Saw her die. It was Cinder's fault." She gripped her bedsheets tightly.

"I know…I saw too." Jonathan said. Ruby looked up with a questioning gaze. "How? You weren't there."

"Heh…About that…" JoJo chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.

He then explained to her about unlocking his aura and the dreams he had on the flight to Patch. Ruby listened intently, the only reaction she had was the slight widening of her eyes and a sad expression once he told her of Yang's disarming.

After he was done, Ruby met his eyes. "I uh…I was thinking about getting in touch with Jaune and the others to Haven Academy- to finish our combat training. Would you want to go with us?"

' _There it is. Qrow was right.'_ JoJo mentally chuckled.

"Sorry Ruby, I'm going to have to decline. I'm uh…going to leave with Qrow to assist him with his own mission."

"Oh…" Ruby looked down. "That's a shame…I was hoping you'd go."

"Chin up, Ruby. I'm positive we'll meet each other again soon. Besides, I don't think I'd be able to get away from your family, no matter how hard I try." JoJo joked, gently poking Ruby's nose. She smiled in response and nodded.

"Alright then. Well…I think I'm going to go see Yang, if that's okay." She responded.

"Of course. I'll go downstairs, I think I've taken a liking to your father's coffee." Jonathan smiled and stood, walking to the doorway and leaning against one side. "And Ruby? I'm glad you and your sister are safe."

Ruby smiled, genuine appreciativeness on her face. "Thanks, Jonathan."

JoJo nodded kindly, then exited the bedroom. In the hallway, Jonathan clenched his fists tightly, then began to make his way down the stairs.

' _This is a tragedy. Plain and simple. But it_ won't _happen again. I couldn't protect my father, Baron Zeppeli, Dire, Yang, Blake, or Pyrrha. But I'm_ **not** _allowing anymore of my friends to be harmed. That, is a promise.'_ He thought to himself as he reached the bottom of the stairs.

. . .

A few months had passed since the Fall of Beacon, and Taiyang offered to let Jonathan stay with them, given his situation. He rarely saw Yang or Ruby, however. During the day, he accompanied Qrow to do small hunting jobs around Patch. Qrow encouraged him to strengthen his newly unlocked aura and try to discover his semblance. When they weren't fighting the creatures of Grimm, JoJo trained himself for hours upon hours to improve his swordsmanship, strengthen his Hamon, and become more acquainted with his aura. Before he knew it, snow covered the forest around Ruby's house. Yang made little improvement, she usually mopes around the house or stays in her room for days on end. It pained all of them to see the usually boisterous and hotheaded brawler figuratively drown in depression.

Jonathan splashed water onto his face from the sink inside the house's bathroom then gazed at his reflection. The Joestar's hair had grown a few inches in length, and a five o'clock shadow resided on his face. He sighed and dried his face off with a towel, then left the bathroom. His shirtless form walked down the halls, dressed in only a fresh pair of grey pants after his morning shower. He scratched his chin as he walked past Yang's room. The blond was sitting in her bed with the blankets on her legs, like usual. He considered going in and trying to lift her spirits, but ultimately decided against it. He continued on past Ruby's room, then stopped. Something was off. He peeked inside her room to see her bed neatly made and a letter sitting on top. The Joestar's eyes widened slightly; he'd already knew what this meant. It was the day he and Qrow had been awaiting.

Jonathan immediately hurried down the stairs and spotted Qrow looking out of a window on the front of the house.

"Qrow, Ruby's left like you said she would." He told the scythe wielder.

"I know, kid. I just saw her and the rest of JNPR walk down that trail- jeez kid, would ya put on a shirt?" Qrow responded.

JoJo looked down at himself and frowned slightly, "Right, sorry."

"You may be living here, but my nieces live here too, for Dust's sake." Qrow joked.

"Yeah, yeah. Are we going to follow them or not?"

"Yes, _after_ you get dressed and ready. It's going to be a lonnng trip. Cold too, so I'd grab a coat." Qrow replied.

Jonathan simply nodded in response and headed upstairs to pack his few belongings.

Qrow sighed and uncorked his silver flask, taking a long swig as he watched Ruby's form begin to fade in the distance.

"We're in for one hell of a time." He sighed again, corking and pocketing the flask.

 _ **Well, here we are. The end of Volume 3. I apologize for not making this chapter as long as the previous few, but I tried to add as much as I could with potentially boring the audience. As you can see, Jonathan has his own aura now, and he unlocked it in a pretty cool way: near death experience. Kind of like how some gain their Stands? I'm still working out the kinks of what I want to do with his visions, maybe something similar to Hermit Purple. Like how Joseph can psychically see images of far away people and places through a camera/TV? But will it be his semblance, or his own Stand? That's for me to figure out, and you to find out.**_

 _ **Also, I like the idea of making Jonathan look different for volume 4 since teams RWBY and JNPR got updated designs. I dunno how you guys feel, but I think it'd be cool asf. I'm sure you noticed that his hair was slightly longer, and the fact that he has facial hair growing in.**_

 _ **P.S., I love you guys, I've gotten more reads on in a week than I have on Wattpad in several months.**_

 _ **P.P.S. Jonathan is going to be a better fighter in the future due to his daily training with Qrow. He'll be a better swordsman, his Hamon will be more powerful since he's had weeks of free time to practice with it again. He'll also be more effective since he doesn't have to worry about taking fatal damage as much, so we're about to see Jonathan Joestar at his (nearly) full potential! And no, I don't plan on making him over powered for the future, that'd just be extremely boring. Who is he, Gold Experience Requiem?**_

 _ **ALSO I decided to make his aura color yellow because Hamon is yellow, rather than making it blue or purple like his aura would most likely be colored. Besides, I think Jonathan already has enough blue and purple going on for his general wardrobe, so it'd be a nice contrast of colors. Plus Jotaro and Dio's Stand auras are yellow, so why not?**_


	12. Chapter 12: Journey to Mistral

"I'll ask one more time." Salem said coldly from her throne. _"Did you kill Ozpin?"_

Cinder Fall's eye widened slightly as she struggled to get out the word. "Yes." She said in a raspy voice.

"And the one known as Joestar?" The Grimm queen asked.

Cinder lowered her gaze. "…No."

Salem sighed heavily and turned her eyes to the other people sitting at the long table at the base of her throne. "Tyrian- The Spring Maiden can wait. Find the Joestar boy _and_ the silver-eyed girl."

Tyrian's eyes lit up with excitement at the opportunity to get his revenge on the man who'd bested him so long ago.

"And take them in _alive."_

Tyrian quietly groaned and averted his eyes.

Salem's gaze intensified on the scorpion Faunus. "And if you fail me _again,_ do not expect the same kindness I showed you the first time. Now leave."

Tyrian hastily got to his feet, bowed, then hurried out of the large room.

Salem's red eyes glowed more brightly in the dark room as she stared at the wall opposite of her. "Those two _need_ to be apprehended."

"I only wonder where they are now." Doctor Watts thought aloud.

. . .

Jonathan Joestar stood at the edge of a forest's cliff, gazing down at the four different-colored figures that walked below. Ruby and the remaining members had changed much over the last few months. The silver-eyed girl and her allies now donned new outfits that were both similar, yet very different to their old ones. Except for Jaune, at least. Ren's hair grew out until it reached the middle of his back, Nora's hair was also longer, but certainly not as long as Ren's. Ruby, however, had hit a growth spurt. She grew a few inches, and her form was more pronounced and less like at stick.

Jonathan sighed as Ruby suddenly ran off with Crescent Rose and the rest of their newly formed team began to take cover by some downed trees.

"Don't worry kid, they'll be fine. It's just a Geist that they're hunting. Tai and I used to take those things out like they were Creeps." Qrow chuckled as he went to stand next to Jonathan.

Jonathan adjusted the dark brown duster that he wore, his (finally)recently named sword, Rose's Thorn, strapped onto his back. **(1.)**

"I know Qrow, but still. I'd rather be down there _with them_ rather than spectating."

"Believe me, I know." Qrow responded. Jonathan glanced at the huntsman, then back to his friends below. The Joestar sighed and scratched his cheek, his short beard that matched his hair causing his face to itch slightly. **(2.)**

Suddenly, a number of trees were blown down as a large creature stormed into the clearing. The beast appeared to be made of stone and semi-humanoid with a small Grimm mask on the front.

Jonathan gripped his sword's hilt and began to leap down, but Qrow stopped him.

"Not yet, kid. Remember, let them handle it if they can. We don't want them to know that we're tailing them."

Jonathan sighed and returned his arm to his side, anxiously watching the fight unfold. And after a solid five minutes of watching his friends scramble around, trying to do damage, they finally defeated it thanks to Jaune's planning.

Qrow clapped Jonathan on the back and smirked, "See? Told ya."

"Yeah, yeah." Jonathan chuckled. "Let's just set up camp already, following those four for days on end really takes it out of me."

"Can't keep up with an old man?" Qrow joked as he began to descend the large cliff.

"You wish." JoJo smirked.

. . .

"You sure you kids won't stick around? You've been real good to this town." The blacksmith asked as he leaned against a wooden support beam.  
"Sorry, but we have another mission to tend to." Ruby replied. Jaune had just gotten his new set of armor from the town's blacksmith, and they were about ready to leave the small town.

"Make it to Haven Academy- no matter what!" Nora announced.

"Sure is taking a while for them to go." Jonathan sighed from behind the building he and Qrow hid behind.

"Usually does. Eager to get on the road?" Qrow asked.

"It's better than sitting around waiting." JoJo replied.

"Heh, looks like we won't be setting up camp soon after all."

"Don't remind me." Jonathan groaned. He glanced to the right to see his reflection in a window. _'Wow, I look…rough.'_

And it was true. His hair was a few inches longer than he'd like to be, his that almost hung in his eyes was lazily combed back. The short, blue beard on his face looked wild because of JoJo's lack of maintaining it. He'd have to do that when he got the chance. The new duster he got just after he and Qrow left Patch now looked worn down and was slightly tattered near the bottom. His usual blue tank top had a few small holes in it, and his grey pants were tattered. His brown boots that his pants were tucked into looked just as worn down as his coat, and even his studded gloves looked worn.

JoJo shook himself from his thoughts and focused on the sounds of Ruby and the others saying goodbye.

"Alright, that's our cue." Qrow said, then disappeared around the edge of the building.

. . .

Ruby, Jaune, Ren, and Nora, now known as team RNJR (ranger) continued down the road until night time. By time the four had set up camp, Jonathan and Qrow were caught up to them and set up their own camp not too far from RNJR. The two opted to not start a fire to not make their allies aware of them, which meant that Qrow and JoJo would have to sleep in the cold. Again.

After RNJR settled into their bedrolls for the night, Jonathan sat on the forest floor and leaned against the trunk of a large tree. He gazed in the direction that his friends were, the orange glow from their campfire visible in the darkness. The gentlemanly Joestar leaned his head back and closed his eyes. _'It's been months since that night at Beacon, but the events are still fresh on my mind as if it happened yesterday. All thanks to those weird_ _ **dreams.**_ _'_ He thought to himself as he adjusted his duster to get more comfortable.

"Hey kid, you good?" Qrow asked, and Jonathan's eyes shot open.

"Yeah, just…Beacon." Jonathan sighed.

Qrow nodded, "Still having bad dreams?"

"Yes, but that's the thing; it's just the same things over and over. Blake being stabbed, Yang's arm, then… Pyrrha." JoJo responded, his eyes downcast.

The scythe wielder didn't say anything, only gazing in the direction of team RNJR. _'Don't let this get you down, kid.'_ Qrow wanted to say, but withheld it. Instead, Qrow sighed and rested his sword onto his shoulder. "Get some sleep, JoJo. I'll take first watch."

Jonathan nodded in response and adjusted his seating so he wouldn't fall over in his sleep. "Whatever you say, just don't let me sleep too long like before. You need rest too, Qrow."

Qrow smirked and raised a hand, "I promise, scout's honor." Jonathan rolled his eyes in response, then started to settle in to drift off to sleep.

. . .

" _Do you believe in destiny?"_ Pyrrha's voice asked through the inky clouds of JoJo's dreams.

" _Yes."_ Cinder's voice responded.

' _Not again…'_ Jonathan sadly groaned.

" _PYRRHA!"_ Ruby's voice screamed, then a blinding, bright white light flashed, causing the inky black clouds to fade. Whenever the light dimmed, a new scene filled JoJo's vision. A lush, green forest was left; the lone figure of a short boy with olive colored skin and brown hair walking through the brush.

" _Where am I supposed to be going again?"_ He asked, although no one was with him.

" _To Mistral; that's where my-_ our _allies will be."_ A familiar voice said. Jonathan's eyes widened in response. _'Ozpin?!'_

Then, the dream instantly faded, and the Joestar's eye shot open. He was still leaning against the same tree, the shattered moon lighting up the night sky. _'Still nighttime.'_ He thought to himself as he turned his head to find an asleep Qrow Branwen laying on the ground in a bedroll. Jonathan smirked and rose to his feet, shouldering his sword and gazing in the direction that RNJR were in.

"YAH! YAH! YAAH!" A voice shouted from nearby.

Jonathan immediately went to investigate the source of the yelling, hiding behind a tree once he got near. He peeked his head around, his eyes widening slightly once he saw Jaune, his new sword and shield in his hands.

"Again." Another voice said. JoJo turned his head to the source to see Jaune's scroll propped against a tree. The Joestar's eyes widened slightly when he realized the person on the scroll was a recording of Pyrrha Nikos.

"YAH!" Jaune swung his sword. _'He's practicing…'_ JoJo realized.

"Great job! Now again." The recording said.

"HYAH!" he swung again.

"Good, now you can take a break." Pyrrha's voice pained the two boys more than any Grimm ever could. The Joestar despised losing friends in battle, especially ones he couldn't save. Those always hurt the worst.

Jonathan winced and considered going to comfort Jaune, but knew it wouldn't be the smartest thing to do. It'd probably freak out the knight more than relax him. Instead, Jonathan sighed and made his way back to Qrow. After all, that man would just be absolutely helpless without the gentleman's protection.

' _I probably better tell Qrow about that dream, but…this thing with Jaune can stay secret.'_ He told himself as he sat and leaned against the same tree. The Joestar then sighed and ran his fingers through his grown-out hair. _'This trip is taking longer than expected.'_

. . .

"Kid, wake up." Qrow shook Jonathan's shoulder for the (insert number) time.

"HAVE AT THEE!" Jonathan suddenly leapt up and unsheathed his sword that was previously lying beside him. "Oh, it's just you Qrow."

"What in the damn, JoJo?!" Qrow suddenly exclaimed once Jonathan lowered his sword point from the huntsman's chin.

"Apologies, Qrow. Suddenly being awoken in the middle of potentially hostile forest puts me on edge." Jonathan sheathed his sword and slung the strap over his back.

Qrow opened his mouth to say that he'd been trying to wake him up for nearly ten minutes, but only sighed and grabbed his sword. "Whatever. Let's just get outta here, Ruby and the others left half an hour ago. Shouldn't take long to catch up."

Jonathan nodded and grabbed his knapsack, "Right." Before the two began to head down the wide trail, Qrow turned to the Joestar warily. "Dreams again?"

JoJo slung his small knapsack over his shoulder and nodded gravely, "The same as usual, but… This time there was a new one." Qrow raised his eyebrow in response, then Jonathan told to him about the olive-skinned boy talking to seemingly no one, then hearing Ozpin's voice. The older huntsman's eyes widened slightly to hearing of the headmaster, but tried to play it off. Unfortunately, Jonathan noticed.

"That is _definitely_ odd, Jonathan. I mean, Ozpin's voice being heard by some random kid? Makes no sense."

JoJo's narrowed his eyes momentarily. _'He's hiding something. It better be a good reason if it's something about Professor Ozpin from_ me _of all people. Alright then Qrow, keep your secrets. But I expect an explanation when it's due.'_

"Yeah, I don't know what to make of it. Can't be true though, right? Like you said, it doesn't make sense." Jonathan responded, lacing his fingers together and resting his hands against the back of his head. Qrow subtly sighed in relief that Jonathan didn't catch his tell. Or so he thought.

"I wouldn't think too hard on it, kid. After all, we got four kids to protect." Qrow chuckled lightly.

"You act like that niece of yours can't handle anything that comes her way." Jonathan smirked.

. . .

While Jonathan and Qrow followed Ruby and the remaining members of team JNPR through the forest to Mistral, the other members of team RWBY were facing their own endeavors. Yang Xiao Long was struggling to cope with her missing limb, and even refused to use the new prosthetic arm that General Ironwood kindly gave to her. Her reasons were her own and understandable in their own right, but this was certainly not the time to postpone "getting back on the saddle." Weiss was forced to deal with her insufferable family and the rich assholes that she'd try so hard to get away from by attending Beacon rather than Atlas. She desperately wanted to see her team again and get to front lines of driving the Grimm out of Beacon, but she was stuck in her large and undoubtedly extremely expensive castle, like a trapped princess from the old fairy tales. Blake's problems were more serious, however. During team RNJR's examination of a ruined and burned down village, the cat Faunus was in the middle of a dangerous fight against a Grimm water dragon that attacked the boat she was sailing home on. She was also reunited with an unexpected ally during her battle, who was none other than Sun Wukong, our favorite monkey Faunus.

After the two saved the boat from the unexpectedly dangerous Grimm, they were finally back on their way to Menagerie for Blake to deal with her own…personal problems.

Meanwhile, Qrow and Jonathan had just finished off a small group of Beowolves that were also on Ruby's trail. The two swordsmen stood on a cliff's edge overlooking the distant figures of RNJR casually getting nearer and nearer to the village of Higanbana.

"Looks like the trip is going quite smoothly. For them. Y'know, since we're taking out all their opposition." Qrow said as he rested his large sword on his shoulder.

"Hey, you're the one who opted to do this." Jonathan deadpanned and sheathed his sword.

"Whatever, kid. Let's just get to that town, the inn there is calling my name." Qrow replied.

"You mean the bar." Jonathan smirked.

"Duh, now let's get down there before that rain starts." Qrow said.

"What rain?" Jonathan raised an eyebrow.

 _ **BOOOOM**_

Thunder crashed loudly, then droplets of rain promptly fell from the sky.

" _That_ rain. C'mon, I'll show you how to talk to the waitresses." Qrow chuckled, but not before noticing a black raven with red eyes perched on a nearby tree branch.

' _Oh boy.'_

. . .

"Alright, kid. I know you're not the legal drinking age for Remnant, but nobody here has to know that. So, get whatever you want, my treat." Qrow told the Joestar after they chose a table in the inn to sit at.

"If it's all the same to you, I'll just have tea. I'd rather not have anything in my system if we get into a fight." Jonathan politely declined, leaning back in his chair.

"Whatever you say, kid. More for m-" He said, but a waitress suddenly appeared by the table with two drinks atop her platter. She set the glasses of brown liquid in front of them, gaining a questioning glance from the two huntsmen since they had not ordered anything.

"Oh we didn't-" Qrow said.

"From the woman upstairs. Said you wouldn't mind bottom shelf. But _this_ one is on the house." The waitress said, nudging the glass in front of Jonathan closer to him. JoJo raised an eyebrow to the woman, but she only winked at him and took her leave.

Qrow would normally comment on how JoJo was stealing his thunder with the ladies, but his mind was preoccupied with the person who'd bought him the drink.

"Be back in a minute, Jonathan. Don't go wooing all the girls in here without me." Qrow stood, picking up his glass and walking towards the nearby flight of stairs.

"But-!" Jonathan tried to say, but Qrow was already gone. Jonathan sighed and cast his eyes to the wooden table he sat at.

After nearly a minute, a voice shook him from his reminiscing memories of Beacon. "Looks like your pal left you there." A feminine voice said. Jonathan glanced up to see the waitress from earlier standing across from where he sat. "Yeah. He had to go do something." Jonathan replied kindly.

"I'm guessing you're huntsmen by the weapons and overall ruggedness." She smiled.

"Correct. We're on our way to Mistral." The Joestar smiled.

"Oh? Where from?" She asked kindly.

Jonathan's faltered at the question and momentarily glanced down. "Vale."

The waitress's eyes widened slightly and her expression turned sad. "Oh. I apologize, I didn't know. I thought you were from around Atlas or somewhere near, judging by your politeness. Were you…-?"

"At there during the fall of Beacon? I'm afraid so…" Jonathan's eyes turned sad.

"I'll uh, get out of your hair. I can tell you need that drink." She nodded her head towards the untouched glass of brown liquid. Jonathan nodded in response and glanced towards where Qrow had gone, unconsciously picking up the glass and taking a sip. His eyes widened at the horrible taste of the alcohol and nearly spit it out. The waitress had to cover her mouth from laughing at the sight, but quickly stifled it with an amused look in her eyes. "I take it you don't drink often."

"Besides the occasional glass of wine? Not at all, no." Jonathan replied once he managed to choke the liquid down.

The waitress gave a small laugh and picked up the round platter that was previously laying on the table. "Well, I'd better go check on your friend and the other customers. Maybe I'll see you soon." She winked at the Joestar again, then walked towards the flight of stairs that Qrow climbed. Jonathan then sighed and sat his elbow on the table, resting his chin in his palm. _'How do I get in situations like this?'_

A flash of red shone from upstairs, causing the Joestar to quickly turn his head towards the source. Jonathan stood from his chair and moved quickly towards the staircase, his hand on the hilt of his sword. As soon as he reached the top, his eyes widened as he watched a figure clad in red and black step through a red light, then disappear. The red light faded, leaving no trace of the person he'd seen. They'd looked strangely familiar, but he couldn't quite place it…

Qrow's voice shook him from his thoughts and Jonathan turned his head to see the huntsman looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "Sorry, what?" JoJo asked.

"I _said_ are you ready to get out of here? It's getting late we still have to book a room for the night." Qrow repeated. Jonathan nodded and released his weapon, returning his hand to his side. "Who was that who just disappeared?"

Qrow gave a small sigh and stood, putting his hands in his pockets. "I'll explain later, kid. This ain't the time or place for it now." Jonathan nodded again, then the two huntsmen descended the stairs to rent a room for the night.

. . .

 **The next day…**

"Another day, another adventure!" Nora announced, spreading her arms to the sky.

"What's the agenda for today?" Ruby asked Jaune, who was holding a map in front of his eyes.

"Walking! Just…walking." Jaune replied.

Ruby groaned and lowered her head. "It's taking a lot longer than I thought to get to Haven."

"How long did you think this trip was going to take?" Ren asked.

"I dunno, like…two weeks?"

"WHAT?!" Jaune exclaimed.

"Fine, like three or something!" Ruby raised her arms.

Following just within earshot, Jonathan raised an eyebrow as he listened to his friends' conversation. "Is she serious?" He said in a low voice. Qrow shrugged and kept his eyes forward. "My ace hasn't been around much. She's only really been to Patch and the city of Vale, so I guess she hasn't quite grasped just how big the world really is. Hold here, let's give em a minute to explore. They're about to come up on an abandoned village."

The two peeked around a couple of trees to see the distant figures of team RNJR cautiously entering the walls of a settlement. After they disappeared behind through the gate, Jonathan glanced over at Qrow. "Mind telling me about that person from last night now?"

Qrow sighed and turned to the Joestar. "Fine, kid. You've met her already, actually. On that train you and your friends tried to stop."

Jonathan's eyes widened as the memory popped into his head. He remembered he and Yang fighting a short girl with a parasol. A woman in a red skirt and Grimm mask armed with a red katana. The woman had saved Yang and himself, then disappeared through a red portal exactly like last night. He knew that he recognized the scene from somewhere, but he wasn't sure until just now.

"I remember now. She saved Yang and I, then left without saying a word." Jonathan nodded.

"That's her, alright. Name's Raven. She's my sister, and Yang's mother." Qrow explained.

"Yang's mother?" JoJo asked, more than a little shocked. Though it did make sense, in a way.

"Right. She…hasn't seen Yang in a while."

"That's why Yang's been looking for her." Jonathan realized.

"I'm surprised she told you about that. I'm not even sure if Ruby knows." Qrow raised an eyebrow.

"She let it slip once, a while ago." JoJo shrugged. "She told me to not tell anyone."

"Figures." Qrow chuckled. "Raven has a way of looking at the world that I don't really agree with. One example of that is running off, leaving her only family. Guess she's got a new "family" now." Qrow said rather bitterly. JoJo raised an eyebrow, but the huntsman didn't elaborate on the matter.

"Now, let's get back to-" Qrow turned his eyes to Jonathan.

 **BOOM!**

A gunshot sounded from the distant village.

Qrow and Jonathan's eyes widened, and the elder huntsman immediately drew his sword.

"A Grimm attack? In a village?" Jonathan drew Rose's Thorn and gazed towards the village.

"Remember kid, it's abandoned. And that's not Grimm, or we'd be hearing growling. It's worse." Qrow said, then took off sprinting towards the abandoned village.

Jonathan's eyes widened slightly, then he ran after his mentor as fast as he could.

. . .

The fight against the unknown scorpion Faunus was going horribly. He was obviously far more skilled than the members of team RNJR, and a few of them were beginning to fear defeat.

Tyrian had just kicked Ruby to the ground and raised his poisonous tail to attack her when the pair of huntsmen arrived at the fight. The members of RNJR's eyes widened as the Faunus's tail flew towards Ruby, her silver eyes widening with fright at the possibility that this was her last day on Remnant.

But Qrow showed up just in the nick of time. He leapt in front of Tyrian's tail and expertly blocked the attack, his sword held behind his back and body facing towards Ruby. "Hey there, kiddo." He smiled at his niece.

Jonathan, however, was still lagging behind a bit. The large Englishman was definitely not as fast as his slimmer mentor.

Tyrian jumped back and raised an eyebrow, then Qrow turned around to face the Faunus.

"As I live and breathe! Qrow Branwen." Tyrian spread his arms.

Jonathan suddenly appeared in the middle of the road to the left of Tyrian, a scowl on the Joestar's face.

"Jonathan!" a small smile appeared on Ren's face.

Tyrian's face immediately soured at the sight of JoJo. "And the off-worlder. I'm amazed you survived so long without an aura, let alone a semblance."

RNJR's eyebrows raised at the stranger's words, questions filling their minds. _'Off-worlder?'_ They all thought.

Jonathan only smirked in response and walked towards Tyrian, twirling his sword and remembering his first battle against the Faunus.

"It's been a while. How long has it been since our last fight? A year? I look forward to beating you _again."_ Jonathan said.

"You got two options here, bucko. Surrender, or I'll sic the kid on you again." Qrow gripped his sword tighter.

Tyrian smirked, beginning a chuckle that soon turned into maniacal laughter. "I'm afraid that's just not possible. My assignment was to retrieve this young girl. So that is what I must do. But now that _you're_ here as well, I can knock out two Nevermores with one stone." He looked at Jonathan. JoJo gritted his teeth in response. "Good luck with that."

"I think we've had enough talk now, don't you?!" Tyrian scowled, then leapt towards the Joestar. Jonathan's eyes widened just before he blocked the blow form the Faunus's bladed gauntlets. It took all he had to deflect or block all the blows, each of them being the speed of a bullet. But thanks to Qrow's training, he was much better off than before.

Tyrian laughed like a crazed lunatic as he tried to land a single blow, but was suddenly kicked aside by Qrow. The two huntsmen then went on the offensive, swinging and slashing their swords at the Faunus. They attacked ferociously, the three individuals leaping and attacking all over the area in the village. Team RNJR only watched with wide eyes as Jonathan delivered a Hamon-filled kick to Tyrian's side, causing the Faunus to fly back and through a concrete pillar.

"Is it me…or did JoJo get better?" Nora asked as they watched Tyrian yell in anger and jump towards the two again.

"It appears that way. His swordsmanship has improved significantly." Ren nodded, remembering how the Joestar used to just swing wildly. Now, his strikes were precise and with great expertise.

"Uh, guys? Why're we just standing here while they're fighting for their lives?" Jaune asked.

"I dunno!" Nora grinned, then leapt towards Tyrian. Almost immediately, she was sent right back to her team with a kick from Tyrian. "Guys, stay back! This one's dangerous!" Jonathan called to them.

"That's why." Ren crossed his arms.

"Fine!" Ruby yelled back, then ran towards a building. The silver-eyed girl then jumped to the top of it and swung her scythe, the tip embedding into the roof as she aimed at Tyrian. After a brief moment of looking through her scope, she gritted her teeth and lowered the weapon. She had no clear shot.

The two huntsmen continued to fight hard, Tyrian proving to be a much more difficult opponent than their first fight with him. Jonathan gritted his teeth and tried to slash his weapon across the Faunus's back, only to be blocked by his tail. Tyrian continued to laugh crazily as he attacked, slashing and kicking his assailants. RNJR watched in dismay as they watched the fight, helpless to do anything in this fight.

After another several minutes, Tyrian pulled off quite the feat of disarming both Qrow and Jonathan. Qrow's greatsword embedded itself in a concrete wall while Jonathan's Rose's Thorn was impaled in a medium-sized boulder. The scorpion Faunus grinned at what he'd done, but Qrow had other plans.

"Are there any trees around here?" Jonathan half-joked. Ignoring him, Qrow raised his fist, shrugged, then walked towards the Faunus. Ruby then began to fire shots at Qrow, who only smiled and effortlessly blocked the shots with his tail. Thanks to Ruby's distraction, Qrow reared back and punched the scorpion Faunus directly in the nose.

Tyrian groaned in pain and clutched his nose. Capitalizing on the opportunity, Qrow delivered two more expertly thrown punches, then kicked him in the chest, sending Tyrian backwards and into a crawling position. Smirking, Qrow calmly walked to retrieve his weapon.

Jonathan scoffed and shook his head at the sight, then began to walk towards Tyrian in the same manner that Qrow was. Tyrian growled and charged JoJo with his bladed gauntlets. The Joestar grinned and backstepped, allowing the Faunus to miss his mark and instead hit the concrete below. Tyrian suddenly punched the Joestar in the gut, a wild grin on his face. However, that grin disappeared when his gauntlets bounced off of JoJo's now-visible yellow aura. Tyrian's eyes widened at the realization, _'Wha-? He has no aura! Unless…unless he somehow unlocked it?!'_

Jonathan narrowed his eyes and focused his breathing before Tyrian could recover.

" **Koooooh!"** JoJo delivered a sharp uppercut under his opponent's chin, sending him upwards. But before he could ascend very far, Jonathan grabbed his ankle and pulled him back to the ground. The Joestar shouted as he took a boxing stance and struck Tyrian across the face and in the gut, doubling the Faunus over. Jonathan then began to beat him like he did to Dio so long ago, punching him across the face repeatedly and even headbutting him once, all the while yelling his war cry.

Tyrian honestly looked pretty shocked. The Joestar's Hamon was going directly through his aura and into his body.

' _W-what is this…?! This energy…it's more powerful than last time! It feels like pure sunlight going into my body, as if it were electricity and I were soaked in water!'_ The Faunus mentally shouted.

" **Koooooh! ORA!"** Jonathan shouted as he delivered a final blow across Tyrian's face, sending him right to where Qrow was waiting. Qrow smirked and swung his sword, batting the Faunus directly into the nearest wall.

Tyrian recovered quickly, however, leaping towards Qrow with a vicious snarl on his face. But before Qrow could counterattack, Ruby suddenly appeared out of nowhere, blocking the attack.

"Ruby!" Qrow shouted.

"Do you _wish_ to be taken?" Tyrian snarled.

"No! But I won't stand by and watch someone get hurt!" She replied defiantly.

Jonathan appeared beside Ruby, his fists raised and his jaw tightened.

He and Ruby then charged the enemy Faunus, Ruby slashing wildly towards Tyrian while Jonathan jumped up and tried to land a Hamon-filled blow. However, Tyrian simply deflected Crescent Rose and wrapped his tail around JoJo's wrist. Before the Faunus could slice his bladed gauntlets across Ruby's chest, Qrow blocked the blow with his sword.

"Ruby, what did I say?! Get back!" Qrow looked to his niece. Jonathan gritted his teeth and sent Hamon into Tyrian's tail, causing him to recoil and unwrap his tail from JoJo's wrist.

"This is my fight, too!" She stubbornly replied, then swung her scythe towards Tyrian, which he effortlessly dodged by jumping over the attack.

"No, it's not that, it's-" Qrow grunted as he pushed against Tyrian's blades. Again, Ruby charged the Faunus and tried to attack him. Tyrian grinned and kicked the girl back, sending her slamming into a wall. Ruby grunted and landed on her feet, but her eyes widened when she looked up to see a large piece of wood falling towards her.

"Ruby!" JoJo shouted and ran towards her, forgetting Tyrian. But Qrow was faster. He sliced the log in half and turned to smirk at Ruby. Jonathan let out a sigh of relief, but his eyes widened when Tyrian suddenly rushed past him. JoJo gritted his teeth and leapt after him, but it was already far too late.

Qrow gasped in pain as his eyes widened, glancing down to see a large scratch across his stomach. The others' eyes widened as they saw Tyrian's tail shoot towards the huntsman, a sinister grin on his face. Ruby immediately scowled and moved her scythe, putting the edge against Tyrian's tail and pulling the trigger, all in the blink of an eye.

The tip and part of the body of Tyrian's tail was severed, spraying purple venom against the concrete and causing the Faunus to shriek in pain. "You _BITCH!"_ He screamed violently and crawled to get some distance between the two. But, he backed into the broad chest of Jonathan Joestar.

ゴ

ゴ

ゴ

ゴ

ゴ

"Hello there." He smirked, cracking his knuckles loudly. Tyrian's eyes widened further, the Jonathan grabbed his shoulder, the large hand clamping down. "Allow me to show you how much I _really_ don't care for your vulgar language."

" **Kooooooh! Sunlight Yellow Overdrive!"** Jonathan shouted, his body bathed in a yellow light as he sent a barrage of punches to the Faunus's torso, pummeling the enemy. Tyrian screamed in pain as his aura gave out and was sent skidding across the pavement.

Tyrian gasped and unsteadily got to his feet, a deep scowl on his face. He looked like he was about to attack again, but his face immediately turned to one what JoJo thought was pure _**fear.**_

" _ **If you fail me**_ **again,** _ **do not expect the same kindness I showed you before."**_ Salem's voice rang in Tyrian's head.

"She _won't_ forgive you…!" He told himself, fear in his voice. But he had a duty to her. He had to report what he'd discovered. Angrily gritting his teeth, Tyrian retreated over the wall of Oniyuri.

Jonathan sighed and walked over to his sword that was sunk halfway into a boulder. He rubbed his hands together and gripped the hilt. After a single tug, the blade slid out smoothly, the dull sound of metal scraping against rock resonating through the village. The act itself reminded JoJo of the tale of King Arthur.

Qrow immediately fell to one knee and cried out in pain.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby knelt beside him with a worried expression on her face.

Jonathan's eyes widened, then he ran to Qrow's side. The rest of RNJR ran to join them, each of their faces filled with worry.

"I'll be fine. He just grazed me." Qrow panted heavily and removed his hand from his stomach, his hand covered with blood.

"Who was that guy?!" Nora exclaimed.

"How'd you get here?" Ren asked.

"Why are people after Ruby?" Jaune demanded.

"Qrow?" Jonathan asked after he kneeled down and put his hand on the huntsman's shoulder.

"What is going on?" Ruby asked relatively calmly. Qrow glanced at Jonathan, who nodded after their eyes met. "What's your favorite fairy tale?" Qrow winced.

. . .

Qrow, Jonathan, and RNJR sat around a fire farther up the trail from Oniyuri. JoJo and Qrow had just explained, well, everything. The four members of RNJR, of all people, deserved to know. Surprisingly enough, they soaked it all in and had absolutely no questions. Well, except for one.

"Really? No questions?" Qrow asked.

Nora then raised her hand high, as if she were still in class. Qrow raised an eyebrow, "Uh, yeah?"

"Why does JoJo have a beard?!" She then pointed at Jonathan's face.

Jonathan blinked. "I uh, haven't shaved?"

"Okay but _why?_ You look a ton older!" Nora continued.

"He really doesn't-" Qrow said.

He was interrupted by Ruby snickering. They turned to find the younger girl covering her mouth, a broad smile on her face. Ren and Jaune's eyes widened. That's just the second time they'd seen her smile like that since they began their trip, the first being her reaction to Jaune's Pumpkin Pete hoodie.

After Ruby's small laugh died down, Jaune sighed. "Of course we have questions. That was just… a lot to take in."

A pointed finger could be seen approaching Jonathan's face, poking his bearded chin. Nora snickered and put her palm against it. "It's so blue!" She laughed.

"I thought she'd behave differently to such life-impacting news." Jonathan said.

"Things have been…stressful for a while." Ren said.

Ruby gazed at the crackling fire in front of her. "So these Maidens…they're powerful warriors that don't need Dust to use magic?"

"Yeah." Qrow responded.

"And there are four of them?" Ren asked.

"Yes. There always is." JoJo replied as Nora felt his chin.

"So when one dies, their power transfers to a female that they care about?" Jaune asked.

"Whoever was in their thoughts last." Qrow corrected.

"And…you knew about this? The whole time?" Ruby asked, turning towards Jonathan.

"Not…the whole time." He responded.

"How long?" Nora asked. She'd stopped touching his newly grown beard and reverted to sitting beside the Joestar.

"During the Vytal Festival. They told me a little before telling Pyrrha." JoJo admitted.

"Why was that guy after me?" Ruby asked, looking at Qrow.

"I told you having silver eyes is a rare trait. Your actions on the tower has upset some very powerful people. Not many people know about the silver eyes, and those that do aren't very happy that one has surfaced." Qrow explained.

"That's why Qrow and I have been following you; to keep an eye on you and make sure you were safe." JoJo added. "Especially you three." He smiled at the remaining members of JNPR.

"Why not travel with us then?" Jaune asked.

"Trust me, you were safer that way." Qrow told them.

"What of that woman, Salem?" Ren asked the huntsman.

Qrow gave a short sigh and momentarily glanced down. "Right now, it doesn't matter exactly who she is. All that matters is her goal: to collect the four relics, each hidden within one of the four kingdoms. If she gets them, things won't well for anyone."

After that, another thought popped into Ruby's head. Something Tyrian had said.

"JoJo…What did that guy Tyrian mean when he called you an 'off-worlder'?"

Qrow and Jonathan's eyes widened slightly, then the Englishman sighed and cast his eyes down.

"Now's as good a time as any, kid. Since we're all telling secrets anyway." Qrow told the Joestar. Jonathan nodded and gazed into the burning fire. His four friends looked at him expectantly while Qrow uncorked his flask.

JoJo ran his fingers through his hair then rested his hand on his knee. "My story began when my father discovered an ancient **Stone Mask…** "

. . .

After Jonathan Joestar's long retelling of his past with Dio and his battle against the Stone Mask, his friends could only stare wide-eyed by the time he was finished. All this time spent with him, and none of them had even suspected. Then again, none of them had even _heard_ of anything like this before.

Jonathan only continued to gaze into the flames while his allies stared at him.

"You're from another world?" Ruby asked, her voice unsure if she believed him.

"One much like this one, yet completely different in almost every way. No Dust, Grimm, or huntsman. Just very few vampires and zombies." He nodded gravely. "Not nearly as technologically advanced, either." He chuckled.

"Well, that explains a lot." Nora crossed her arms, earning an elbow from Ren.

"She just means that ever since we met you, you've been kind of…bizarre. Though it would explain your initial reaction to certain things, like not knowing how to properly operate your scroll." Ren pointed out. Jonathan chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck bashfully. "Heh, yeah."

"Hold on, if there isn't aura or semblances where you're from, how come you managed to unlock yours?" Jaune asked.

"This one's asking the real questions." Qrow chuckled. "We don't know, kid. But it's lucky that he did."

"Truly. Perhaps being on Remnant has simply allowed him to awaken his hidden potential?" Ren proposed.

"It's possible, but so far we don't know." Qrow replied.

After a brief moment of silence, Jaune spoke up, "Let's say we believe all this. There really is this crazy evil being behind these attacks, not just some thugs trying to become powerful. _And_ that our friend here is from a completely different world that has vampires running around. Why doesn't the world know? Why isn't anyone going after them?" He asked.

"And why aren't we in more of a hurry to get to Haven? Shouldn't we be giving them a message? What if they're next?" Nora put in.

"The headmaster there saw what happened to Beacon. He's not dumb. He'll be on his guard. Besides, it takes time to mobilize forces like that. Do you really think they planned out that attack on Beacon over night? And to answer _your_ question." Qrow said, turning to Jaune. "-It's the same reason we keep quiet about the Maidens. If the whole world knew about the relics, about Salem, there'd be chaos. We'd have another Great War on our hands, and this time, you'd have to fight." He pointed at Jaune.

The knight averted his eyes.

"Look, I had the same questions as you. But Ozpin always put his foot down. 'We can't cause a panic'. Can't tell you how many times I've heard that." Qrow smirked as he pulled his flask out.

"This woman is smart. She works from the shadows, using others to get what she wants. When it comes time to place the blame, the kingdoms can only point at each other. From what Qrow, Ozpin, and the others have told me, she's trying to divide us. To divide humanity." Jonathan clasped his hands onto his knees.

"And so far, she's done a pretty damn good job." Qrow added, looking up at the shattered moon.

"Alright." Ruby suddenly said. "So what should we do?"

Qrow chuckled after a moment. "Honestly, I don't really know." This caused the members of RNJR to glance at each other. "Ozpin has put a lot of trust in the headmasters. Like I said, the schools are an important part of stopping Salem. Atlas is gonna be on high alert after the last attack, and Vacuo is well…Vacuo. It'll be hard to hire thieves and scoundrels to fight other thieves and scoundrels. Take that and add in that Cinder and her crew claim to be from Haven, and I think it'll likely be her next target. So, we're on our way to the headmaster. Haven't heard from him in a while, even before the attack. We're hoping he has the answers." Qrow said, then got to his feet, clutching his wound. "Alright, I think it's time you kids got some sleep."

"Uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah?" the huntsman asked.

"This is a lot to take in, especially with JoJo, and it all sounds crazy, but… I'm willing to do whatever I can to help because I trust you. But why couldn't you trust me?" She asked, genuine curiosity and slight hurt in her voice. "Why couldn't you just travel with us instead of all this secrecy and-"

"Look kid, it's got nothin' to do with trust. I-… It's a long story, okay?" Qrow put his hand on the back of his neck. Jonathan raised an eyebrow, also curious. The huntsman had never given him a full explanation, only saying that 'They'd be safer that way.'

"Seriously? Now you're tired of telling us stories?" Nora asked.

Qrow turned his eyes to the fire, still crackling.

"Did you know that crows are a sign of bad luck? An old superstition, but it's how I got my name." He then knelt by the fire and poked it with a stick, causing more embers to go into the sky. "See, some people can absorb electricity, while others can go into a rage after taking damage, and others are just born unlucky. My semblance isn't like most. It's not exactly something I do. It's always there, whether I like it or not. I bring _**misfortune.**_ Guess I'm somewhat of a bad luck charm. Helps a lot during fights, but makes it hard on friends…and family." Qrow said, then stood.

"Well aren't you just a bundle of help." Jaune sighed. Jonathan stood with Qrow and went to his side.

"Yeah…" Qrow said, then began to walk away from the camp.

"Where are you going?" Nora asked.

"Taking a walk." He replied, then disappeared into the darkness.

"There's nothing else you want to tell them?" Jonathan asked. Qrow stopped in his tracks. "Not tonight." He said, then kept walking. A bird cawed from above, then JoJo looked up to see a black raven sitting on a tree branch. Qrow winced in slight pain at his wound, but continued walking.

Jonathan tightened his jaw and sat down again, leaning onto his sword.

"Now that we have a moment, it is good to see you again, JoJo." Ren tipped his head forward in a slight bow. Jonathan allowed a small smile to appear on his face. "It's good too see all of you too. I've missed each of you." JoJo said and shifted in his seat on the fallen log.

"Soo I hear you stayed with Ruby and Yang after Beacon." Nora said.

"That's true, but I didn't see them very often." Jonathan replied.

"Yeah, he was always out of the house with Uncle Qrow; helping him with hunting missions." Ruby added.

"That's…not all we did." JoJo said, gaining questioning glances from his friends. The Joestar gave a small sigh. "We did go on hunting missions, but Ruby's uncle also helped me to get better at fighting, with both the sword and aura. And…and in between missions, we searched for information regarding Salem and her forces. Although, we didn't find much."

"Nothing?" Ruby asked.

"Well, not nothing." JoJo turned his head to look at the silver-eyed huntress. "We've learned something we already knew: it's extremely hard to dig up information about the witch."

"That helps a lot." Jaune sighed.

"It's much harder than you'd think." Jonathan glanced at the knight.

After a few moments of silence, other than the crackling of the fire, Nora turned to the muscular Joestar. "Have you discovered your semblance yet?"

The question took Jonathan by surprise. "No. Well, I don't think so. Qrow and Ruby's father think it has something to do with the…dreams I've been having."

"Dreams?" Ren asked. Jonathan nodded, then explained his reoccurring visions of Blake, Yang, and Pyrrha. Even the one about the boy in the forest.

During his explanation, Jaune's expression turned from one of curiosity to complete sadness once the Joestar reached the part about Pyrrha. Jonathan didn't want to describe the scene regarding Pyrrha's death, but Jaune needed to hear it.

"That would be an extremely unique semblance." Ren managed, though he was obviously trying to hide his emotions of hearing Jonathan's explanation.

"So I've heard. I'm still not sure if it's a semblance or…something else." Jonathan said, then turned his head to Jaune, a softened expression on the Joestar's face. "Jaune, I apologize for describing her…passing."

Jaune then looked at Jonathan with a saddened, but slightly appreciative expression. "Don't sweat it, JoJo. I'm actually kinda relieved you told me. Otherwise I'd be torturing myself trying to figure it out."

Jonathan nodded in response, then stood and sheathed his sword. "Well while I'd love to continue catching up, I do believe it's best to do as Qrow said and get some rest. Goodnight Ruby, team JNPR-"

"Actually, it's team RNJR now." Ruby put in. Jonathan blinked in response. "What?"

"Oh, well, after we left with Ruby, we decided that we needed a new team name. In which _I_ voted for team JNRR-" Nora said, in which Ren interrupted her, "Still not a color."

"Guys, I thought we settled this." Jaune sighed.

" _Anyways,_ we've been calling ourselves team RNJR. Seems easier that way instead of saying 'Ruby and JNPR.'" Ruby continued.

"Right. Well, goodnight RNJR." Jonathan blinked.

"Goodnight, JoJo!" Nora waved as Jonathan went to sit and lean against a large tree, not at all far from the fire.

' _It's pretty nice having a fire for once.'_ Jonathan thought to himself and let out a muted sigh.

. . .

The next morning…

The four members of team RNJR stirred awake in their bedrolls, each of the colors of the blanketing corresponding with their owners. Ren sat up, groaning, "We should get going."

Jaune sat up quickly and threw the blankets off of his legs. "Yeah, yeah." Everyone looked towards the same direction when they heard the sound of coughing, which happened to be where Qrow was sitting. The huntsman looked pretty rough in all honesty when Ruby ran to check on him. He pulled his hand away from his gut to reveal a purple substance on his hand.

Ruby's eyes widened at the sight and she raised her hand in front of her mouth.

"Well that's not good." Qrow said.

. . .

Yang Xiao Long grunted and delivered a swift punch to her father's chest, and in return, the older huntsman grinned and slammed his open palm into Yang's shoulder. Zwei was watching the fight from the sidelines, the corgi panting and allowing his tongue to hang out.

Tai jumped at Yang and brought his foot down towards her, but Yang effortlessly caught it and threw him back. Capitalizing on the opportunity, Yang ran forward and punched her father in the shoulder. Tai grunted and clutched his arm, then laughed.

"Nice work! That new arm sure packs a punch!" He smiled.

"We've been at this for weeks. I get it, you wanna make sure I can still fight." Yang smirked, then slammed her fists together like she used to. "I think I'm doing just fine."

"You're close." Tai said, then began to walk around his daughter.

"Oh yeah?" Yang put her hand on her hip.

"You're still way off balance."

"What?! No I'm not!" Yang retorted. "Honestly, I kind of surprised." She said, then raised her arm to look at her open palm. "I thought it would just be this huge weight, but it feels…natural." She turned her wrist and looked at the back of her new hand. "They did a great job with this thing-" She smiled, but was then suddenly punched in the side of the face by her father.

Yang grunted and went on the defensive, blocking and parrying his attacks to the best of her ability. The brawler spun and kicked Tai in the side multiple times, then he smirked and caught her foot. Taiyang traded blows with his daughter until they caught each other's fist and elbow. "I wasn't talking about your actual balance." He smiled, then tripped Yang, who then fell onto her back in the dirt. "Although that could use some work too." He said as he went to retrieve a towel from the stool besides Zwei.

Yang sighed and sat up, leaning back and putting her hands on the ground for support. "Meaning?"

"I saw your tournaments during the Vytal Festival." Tai said.

"Let me guess, 'I was sloppy'." She rolled her eyes.

"No, you were predictable." Tai chuckled and wiped his arm with the towel. "And stubborn. And maybe a little bone-headed."

Yang then got into a cross-legged position and looked at her father expectantly. Tai sighed and looked her in the eyes. "Do you realize you used your semblance to win _every_ fight after the qualifiers' round?"

"So? How is using my semblance different from anyone else using theirs?" Yang sighed.

"Because not everyone else's is a glorified temper tantrum." Tai joked. "I'm serious! Once you take damage, you can deal it back twice as hard, but that doesn't make you invincible! It's great when you're in a bind, but what happens if you miss? What if they're stronger? What then? Then it just leaves you weak and tired!"

Yang raised an eyebrow.

Tai smirked and continue. "You've always been the one to burn brighter than everyone else, whether it was your smile, or, well, I remember your first haircut." Tai gave Yang a playful push. "But you gotta keep your emotions in check. Keep a level head, and think before you act. That semblance is a great fallback, but you can't let yourself rely on it. It won't always save you. Obviously." Tai sighed and lowered his gaze. "You definitely have your mom's stubbornness."

"Oh, so now we can talk about her?" Yang deadpanned.

"Well, as I have been informed, you're an adult now. Right?" Tai replied and went to stand by a large tree.

"Well, sorry I remind you of her." Yang averted her eyes.

"Don't be. Raven was great in so many ways- her strength, her ambition, her dedication to whatever cause she thought was worth fighting for. I'm proud by how much of her I see in you. But I'm also glad I don't see all of her in you." Tai replied.

"Why?" Yang asked. It was a simple question, but a tremendous one.

Taiyang then sighed. "Your mother was… a complicated woman. Like everybody, she had her faults, but those vaults are what tore our team apart. And it did a huge number on our family. You both act like the easiest way to go through an object is through it. That strength is all that matters in a fight. But if you just take a second look, maybe you see there's a way around as well."

Yang looked down dejectedly, then Tai reached a hand out towards Yang. "C'mon, one more before dinner."

Yang took his hand, then Taiyang pulled her to her feet. The two then began to square off with their fists raised.

Tai grunted and swung his fist. Yang dodged under it and punched him in the chest, but Tai immediately recovered and launched his elbows at her. Yang instinctively caught them and grinned.

"Maybe you can spar with Jonathan when he gets back, that fellow can fight as well." Tai smiled. Yang then dropped to her back, falling backwards and using her foot to throw the member of team STRQ. Tai immediately got to his feet and leapt at Yang. Yang then evaded his attack and caught his fists.

"See? Now you're using your head instead of-" Tai smiled. Yang smirked and tripped her father, but caught him by his hand before he could hit the dirt.

Yang smiled and looked down at her dad. "I'll make sure to tell him that when I see him."

. . .

Jonathan and RNJR were carrying Qrow on a stretcher through a desolate part of the forest. They were surrounded by dead trees on the long trail. Ruby and Jaune were carrying the stretcher while Ren, Nora, and Jonathan were on guard. Qrow coughed painfully and Ruby glanced back at him. "Just hold on, Uncle Qrow."

"Set him down for a minute." Jonathan said and stopped in front of Ruby.

"JoJo we have to keep mov-" Ruby said, but Jonathan held up a hand.

"Just trust me on this, Ruby." He said, then Ruby nodded. She and Jaune set the stretcher down, and Jonathan knelt at Qrow's side. Jonathan raised his open palms above Qrow's chest, a yellow aura glowing from his hands. The familiar hum of Hamon could soon be heard. **"Kooooh!"** Jonathan pressed his hands against Qrow's abdomen. The yellow glow seemed to soak into Qrow's body as he worked his Hamon. After a moment, the scowl on Qrow's unconscious face relaxed, and he let out a content sigh.

"What'd you do?" Nora asked after the glow of Hamon dimmed.

"As I told you back at Beacon- Hamon has healing properties. That's how my old mentor learned about it. I managed to dull his pain, but Tyrian's venom is too powerful for Hamon alone. He needs actual medical attention. And fast." Jonathan said as he got to his feet. Ruby nodded to Jaune, then they lifted the stretcher and continued walking.

"We have to be close to Mistral by now." Ren said.

"Feels like we're close to something." Jonathan added.

Then Ren stopped. He jogged to the fork in the road ahead of them, a wooden sign standing between the fork.

"What is it?" Ruby asked.

They soon joined Ren, gazing up at the sign. The names of four signs were pointed to right, left, and the road they'd came from.

Mistral and Kuchinashi were pointed right, while the town Kuroyuri was pointed to the left. Kuroyuri's name was X'd out on it, which certainly raised a few questions.

"Hey, Mistral! We're on the right path!" Nora pointed at the sign. Then her face faltered and eyes saddened. "Oh…"

"Does it say how close?" Ruby asked.

"No. And it looks like the path takes us up through the mountains." Ren replied, then Jaune and Ruby carefully set Qrow in the stretcher down.

Ruby quickly ran to where the others inspected the signs, eyes widening slightly once a particular X'd out town caught her eye. "What about this one? Kuro…yuri?"

Ren cast his eyes down at the mention of his former home, images of building on fire and Grimm running through his mind. "That village was destroyed years ago."

"The village would've had some sort of doctor. Perhaps we can find medic-?" Jonathan considered.

"We just have to press on!" Ren suddenly said, anger in his voice. Jonathan blinked and attempted to put his hand on the man's shoulder, but Ren only shook him off.

"Ren, what's wro-?" Jaune asked, but Nora (successively) put her hand on Ren's shoulder. "We can split up."

"No way, we keep each other safe." Jaune immediately responded.

"There's no time for safe! If we make it to Mistral, we'll be back with help. If not, then at least we'll have a better view of the land!" Nora rebutted. Ren's expression softened, and for a moment, they all seemed to calm down. Then Qrow coughed rather weakly.

"Whatever you all want to do, we better make a decision fast." Jonathan told them.

Jaune nodded. "Okay." He said, then he and Ren did a bro hug. Once they pulled away, Jaune looked at Ren and Nora. "Just take care of each other."

"We always have." Nora replied kindly, her eyes on Ren.

Jonathan mutely sighed at their decision, but did not protest. After Ren and Nora began going down the trail on the right, Jaune and Jonathan picked up Qrow's stretcher, then they made their way down the trail to the destroyed village. To Kuroyuri.

"I don't like this plan. Splitting up is _never_ a good idea for situations like this." JoJo told his friends.

"They'll be fine." Ruby assured the Joestar.

"We don't know that." Jaune told her.

Jonathan sighed and rolled his shoulders. _'Hang in there, Qrow.'_

. . .

After the four of them walked through the village for a good twenty minutes, Jonathan could safely say that nothing was of use in these ruins. They opted to set Qrow down and allow him to lean against a large tree in the center of town once he regained consciousness.

"There's nothing here." Jaune sighed.

"I agree. We should continue moving, Mistral can't be far-" Jonathan added, but was suddenly interrupted by a loud, ominous roaring in the distance. Jaune, JoJo, and Ruby immediately readied their weapons and faced in the direction it came from.

"It sounds far away." Ruby noted.

"Yes, but we still have people out there." Jonathan replied.

Ruby lowered Crescent Rose and sighed. "C'mon, you two." She said under her breath.

Jonathan sheathed Rose's Thorn and turned to his compatriots. "How long should we wait for Nora and Ren?"

"As long as it takes." Jaune replied without hesitation.

"I know how you feel Jaune, but we may be _forced_ to leave if Qrow gets any worse. Look at him. He needs medical attention immediately." Jonathan told him. Jaune sighed and cast his eyes down. JoJo then knelt by Qrow and placed his hands on his abdomen.

" **Koooooh!"** Jonathan breathed, making Hamon glow from his hands as he channeled it into Qrow. The older huntsman sighed in slight relief and looked up at Jonathan. "Thanks, kid. That helps."

Jonathan nodded in response and removed his hands. The Hamon won't be enough to expel the venom, but it'll lessen the pain he was in.

The sound of running footsteps could suddenly be heard nearby, and the four of them looked up to see Ren and Nora running towards them.

"What are you guys doing here?" Ruby asked.

"Is something wrong?" Jonathan stood.

Ren's pink eyes widened in horror, and he fell to his knees. "No…" He muttered as he looked up and past his allies.

"What is it?!" Ruby asked with worry clear on her voice.

Jonathan's eyes widened slightly. He could sense a presence coming from behind them. Something big and terrifying. He could feel the ground shake slightly through the soles of his boots. JoJo turned around quickly, his dark brown duster whipping in the wind. The Joestar's eyes widened when he saw the creature. It was indeed large. It _looked_ like a man on a horse, but so much more. The Grimm's main body seemed to be a humanoid figure with curved horns and a face that was the stuff of nightmares. Below it was a large Grimm horse that appeared skeletal, with massive hooves and a heavy body. The humanoid body seemed _attached_ to the horse body, or rather sprouting out of it. The creature itself reminded Jonathan of his battle with Jack the Ripper, when the famed murderer hid himself inside of one of the carriage horses.

The creature spread its long and skinny arms as it let out an extremely high-pitched roar that forced RNJR, Qrow, and JoJo to cover their ears.

"What the _hell_ is that?!" Jonathan exclaimed and drew his sword.

Ren gritted his teeth and tightened his grip on his pistols. "That's the thing that destroyed this village _and_ my family."

Jonathan's eyes widened slightly and he looked back at the Grimm. Memories of his experiences with Dio flashed through his mind. This monster was Ren's own Dio. It killed his family and destroyed his home, much like Dio did to JoJo. There's no doubt that Ren hates this creature with every fiber of his being for what it did. JoJo knows, because that's how he feels about his step brother. Almost.

The Nuckelavee Grimm's joints and bones audibly cracked as it moved, its head twitching creepily while it examined the huntsmen and huntresses. Its head turned to Qrow, an odd wheezing growl emanating from its skull-like mouth.

Jonathan's eyes widened as he instantly realized what the Grimm was doing. Going for the weakest link. The Joestar ran to Qrow's aid, but the Nuckelavee had other plans. It launched its long arms towards JoJo, trying to strike him.

Jonathan was within fifteen feet of the elder huntsman when the arm reached him. Without hesitation, the gentlemanly Joestar _caught_ the appendage with both hands and sent a powerful burst of Hamon into it. The Nuckelavee screeched in response to the life energy invading its soulless body, and pulled its arm back.

JoJo picked his mentor off of the ground, putting one of Qrow's arms around his shoulders for support. He then heard the very familiar sound of hooves thundering against pavement. JoJo looked up to see the Nuckelavee galloping towards him at an alarmingly fast pace. He prepared himself to set Qrow back down and fight, but Lie Ren had his friend's back.

Ren narrowed his eyes and pressed his open palm against the ground, sending his semblance into it and towards Jonathan. Just before the large Grimm ran into JoJo, a black and white energy washed over him and Qrow, and the Joestar was suddenly at peace, as if a wave of calmness washed over him. Jonathan looked over at Ren, his eyes shut in concentration and his hand pressed against the pavement.

"Get him outta here!" The ninja shouted at him. Jonathan nodded and began to carry Qrow away from the fight, towards the ruined buildings.

Several pink explosives flew towards the Grimm and collided against the humanoid part of its body, exploding and causing the creature to screech painfully and flail its arms.

"Come on Qrow, don't give up now." Jonathan muttered as he and Qrow disappeared behind a building. He gently set Qrow on the grown and leaned him against a wall. The huntsman let out a grunt when he came in contact with the concrete. "Thanks, JoJo." He said as Jonathan straightened his posture and looked back towards the surely ensuing fight.

"You okay if I help them?" JoJo asked.

"Sure, kid. They need your help anyway. I'll be good here." Qrow grunted and held his wound with one hand. Jonathan nodded and ran towards where RNJR was, unsheathing his sword again.

The fight was going about how you'd expect. Ruby, Ren, and Nora were running around and firing off or swinging their weapons, trying to get fatal hits in on the beast. Ruby fired Crescent Rose and used its recoil to blast herself towards the Nuckelavee and slash across its back. The Grimm roared in pain and used one of its arm to slam Ruby to the ground.

"Hngh!" Ruby grunted and struggled under the weight of the beast's grip. However, Ren put a volley of rounds from his duel pistols, causing the Nuckelavee to release its grip on Ruby and turn its attention to the green ninja.

Ren had been running in a circular formation until the Nuckelavee used its long arms to grab his hands and halt his sprint. Ren gritted his teeth and tried to pull his arms free, but it was no use. The Grimm was too strong.

"Hyah!" Jonathan shouted as he leapt towards the Nuckelavee and sliced Rose's Thorn across its chest. The Nuckelavee screeched in pain and let go of Ren, allowing him to jump back and continue running in a circle and firing at the creature.

"Guys! Keep going in ac circle!" Jaune cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted.

"Duh!" Ren called back.

Several pink explosions collided with the Nuckelavee's back and it turned its creepy head towards Nora, launching its stretchy arms towards her.

Jonathan gritted his teeth and slashed his blade across the Grimm's horse body and began to run with Ren, Ruby, and Nora. Jaune unsheathed his sword and activated his shield and joined his team, slashing the creature whenever he got the chance.

However, when Jaune delivered a particular cut, the horse head of the Grimm turned to look at the knight and kicked him with its large hoof, sending him flying back several feet. He landed beside Ruby and quickly got to his feet. Jaune suddenly sheathed his sword and glared at the Grimm.

"What are you doing?" She asked him. Jaune then pulled his sword back out, but now, the sheath came with it. It made the sword bigger and heavier, turning it into a sort of great sword to allow more powerful strikes.

Upon seeing this, Ruby grinned and slammed the tip of Crescent Rose into the pavement and aimed down its sights. She immediately fired several rounds at the Grimm while Jaune ran towards the Nuckelavee, along with Jonathan. The two leapt towards it with swords raised, and simultaneously sliced at its chest. The Grimm screeched once more and swung its arms at the two, but they were much too fast for it.

They evaded its strikes and landed at its sides and both stabbed into its horse body. After JoJo and Jaune jumped back, Nora and Ren continued shooting at the beast. Then, it did something weird. The Nuckelavee jumped back, its humanoid head glaring at them. It screeched and raised its arms to their full length, then began to spin. Jaune's eyes widened at the action and he dove to the ground to evade it. However, Jonathan was hit directly in the chest, being sent flying backwards and colliding with Nora. Nearly all of them were cast aside by the Grimm's attack, forcing them to retreat back and give the Grimm some breathing room.

Its outer ribs shook and the spines on its back _extended_ outwards a good two feet as it screeched into the sky and forced the huntsmen to cover their ears once more. Ren then ran up the large tree in the center of the village and fire his weapons at the Grimm. The Nuckelavee turned its humanoid body towards him and shot its arms at Ren, hitting the huntsman and causing his body to collide with the building behind him. The Grimm held him pressed against the wall while Ren struggled to free himself.

Jonathan gritted his teeth and ran towards the beast and prepared to slice it apart, but the Grimm saw him coming. It launched its other arm at Jonathan to hopefully pin him like it did Ren, but JoJo was quicker to react. He dropped to his knees and slid across the pavement, but the Grimm did manage to hit him somewhere. Jonathan was forced to let go of his sword once the Nuckelavee hit his wrists, causing the weapon to drop and impale itself in the ground.

JoJo got to his feet and continued running at the monster, already channeling Hamon into his fists. The Nuckelavee seemed surprised that Jonathan was still approaching it despite having no weapon, if the way it screeched was any indication. Jonathan smirked and leapt towards it with his fist raised. The Grimm used its free hand and tried to knock the Joestar aside, but by time it could even come in contact with him, Jonathan was already at it.

" **Kooooh! Overdrive!"** Jonathan shouted as he powerfully uppercut the beast, sending as much Hamon as he could directly into it.

The Nuckelavee screeched in pain and flailed its arms, which in turn dropped Ren to the ground. Jonathan landed on the ground in front of the creature and cursed.

' _Damn! I thought that would be enough to do it in!'_ He thought to himself and leapt back to retrieve his weapon. However, before he could pull the sword free from the concrete, the Nuckelavee swatted him aside with its long arms. JoJo was sent flying into a nearby building, his yellow aura flickering but not quite giving out just yet. He heard a gunshot and saw Nora fly towards the beast, slamming her large hammer into the beast's horse body.

The Nuckelavee screeched in pain and stumbled slightly, and Ren saw his chance. He sprinted at it, slashing and slicing its long arms as they came towards him, but one hit its mark. The large hand collided with Ren's chest, sending him back and causing him to skid across the pavement.

However he recovered quickly, running towards the Grimm again with an angry look in his eyes.

"Ren, knock it off!" Jaune shouted. He didn't stop, though. Ren gave an angry yell and leapt at the Grimm, but a hand shot towards him, grabbing his ankle out of midair and slamming Ren into the ground. Hard.

Ren landed beside Nora and struggled to get to his feet.

"Ren!" Nora exclaimed, helping him up.

Jonathan tightened his jaw and pulled himself out of the small crater he had caused upon impact with the wall. He landed in a crouching position and sprinted towards the Nuckelavee, not even bothering to retrieve his weapon.

The Nuckelavee looked like it was about to charge Nora and Ren, the beast pawing its front foot into the ground like a bull would.

Ren stood and balled his fists angrily to face the beast, but Nora suddenly tackled him under a stilted house and out of sight.

Ruby was leaping from rooftop to rooftop, firing rounds from Crescent Rose into the Grimm while Jaune attempted to confront the beast head on. Jonathan tightened his fists as he neared it and leapt into the air, kicking it in the side with all his might. The blow caught it off-guard and caused it to fall to the ground, screeching angrily.

Jonathan capitalized on the opportunity to do extra damage to it before he got up. The Joestar quickly pulled two red Dust crystals from his small pack and threw them at the ground, causing the crystals to explode and engulf the Grimm in fire.

It screeched in agony and flailed its arms around as it attempted to stand, but Jonathan wasn't having any of that. JoJo leapt onto its flaming body and kicked its humanoid body down, pinning it to the ground.

Jonathan gave a cocky smirk as he raised his fists.

" **Kooooooooooh…! Sunlight Yellow…OVERDRIVE!"** He shouted as he delivered a barrage of punches to the Grimm's humanoid body and head. In the process, its skull-like face chipped and cracked, and one of its curved horns was broken off. Yet despite sheer amount of Hamon the powerful blows he delivered, the beast still lived. He tightened his jaw and simply delivered _another_ barrage to the Grimm.

While Jonathan was keeping the beast busy, team RNJR regrouped and watched the scene momentarily.

"Jaune and I can take care of its arms." Ruby told Ren and Nora, who had just come out from under the stilted house.

"I can take the horse." Nora said and held her hammer tighter.

"And I can take care of the rest. If Jonathan doesn't kill it now, that is." Ren said and looked down at the knife in his hands, his only keepsake from his father.

"Wah!" Jonathan exclaimed as he was sent flying towards his friends. Nora quickly dropped her hammer and jumped up, catching the Joestar with ease and landing nimbly on her feet.

"Whoa! Thanks, Nora." JoJo said as the Valkyrie set him on his feet.

"Anytime. Now, let's get to it!" Nora picked her hammer up and rushed the Nuckelavee.

"Get to what?" JoJo blinked.

"Just help Nora!" Jaune called to him as he and Ruby ran towards the Grimm. Ruby began do what she had been doing, leaping from rooftop to rooftop and shooting it with Crescent Rose. The Nuckelavee shot its arm towards her, but that's what she was counting on. Without missing a beat, she spun in midair, swinging Crescent Rose towards its hand. Before it could withdraw said hand, the tip of Ruby's scythe impaled the Grimm hand, effectively pinning it and causing the Nuckelavee to screech in pain.

A knife suddenly flew out of nowhere, impaling itself in the horse and making the Grimm screech again. But Jaune was waiting for it now. It launched its other hand towards the blond knight, but the Nuckelavee was in for a surprise. Ren leapt towards it holding Jaune's shield and slammed into the arm, pinning it to the ground momentarily.

"Now!" Ren ordered, and Jaune stabbed his sword through the Grimm's wrist, making black blood splash against the ground and causing the beast to roar in pain once again.

"Nora! JoJo!" Ren shouted.

Nora fell off the top of a tall building, grinning just before falling, then began to swing her hammer until she was spinning towards the Grimm. She slammed her hammer into the horse's head with as much force as she could muster, which was quite a lot because of her body strength. The horse's skull was crushed instantly, and the humanoid body felt it. It reared its head back and screeched loudly.

"Overdrive!" Jonathan shouted and delivered a Hamon-filled kick to the Grimm's back, making the beast lean forward, where Ren was waiting.

The ninja retrieved his father's knife and faced the Grimm. The Nuckelavee, with its twitching head, screeched directly in Ren's face, blowing his hair back and making him squint, but he did not falter at all. Ren narrowed his eyes and spun the knife in his hand.

' _For my mother.'_ He thought to himself, then grabbed one of its arms and sliced, effectively cutting it off. It screeched in pain, but no one cared.

' _For my father.'_ He sliced its other arm off, gaining another roar and making its body flail around.

' _For all those you've slain.'_ He sliced across its chest, making it flail again and roar in pain.

Jonathan, still standing on its horse body, grabbed the Grimm's remaining horn to keep it still for Ren. JoJo gave the ninja a nod, then Ren nodded back in thanks.

The Joestar knew just how much this meant to Ren, and he intended to give him the full satisfaction of killing this monster.

Ren closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "For myself." He said, then delivered a single, precise blow to its neck.

Jonathan now held the beast's head aloft with his hand by its horn. Even though the head was already disintegrating into shadow, the Joestar scowled and sent Hamon into it. It instantly disintegrated in his hands, and he looked to Ren. The huntsman nodded at him, and he nodded back. Then Ren was tackled to the ground. Nora laughed happily and hugged the downed ninja. Jonathan smirked, then jumped down from the disintegrating body to retrieve his sword and sheathe it on his back.

Ruby immediately ran to check on Qrow, and Jonathan went over to stand by Jaune.

Ruby knelt by her uncle, who tiredly looked up at her. "It's quiet. Good job, kiddo." He said. Ruby smiled in response, grateful that he was still okay.

Jonathan and Jaune looked to the sky. They could both hear it. The sounds of engines.

"Guys! I think I hear something!" Jaune called to his allies.

Then, a pair of grey dots appeared on the horizon. JoJo's eyes widened and a grin broke out on his face. Two Mistralian airships touched down in the square of the village, their engines resonating through the ruins of Kuroyuri. The airships' design reminded Jonathan of the average sailing ship, but obviously outfitted with technology that allows it to fly.

Within moments, the five of them had Qrow back on his stretcher and was carrying him to the airships. Once the elder huntsman was loaded and ready to go, the airships took off, flying away from the old village.

"I cannot thank you all enough for that." Jonathan said to the airship crew. They nodded in response, but seemed to appreciate the gesture.

"How did you find us all the way out here?" Jaune asked.

"We were just out on patrol and saw the smoke. Nobody's been out here for years, we thought something might be wrong." A crewman said.

"Well you were right." Jonathan nodded and looked out on the horizon.

"What if we don't make it in time?" Ruby asked. She'd been knelt beside Qrow ever since they took off. Jonathan's eyes widened slightly. "Ruby." He said, and the huntress looked up.

They'd arrived at Mistral. The city was, in a word, stunning. Its tall castle dominated the area, and the surrounding building complimented the forest around them.

Tears filled Ruby's eyes, and she looked down at her uncle. "We made it, Uncle Qrow." She told him, and he unconsciously held her hand tighter.

Jonathan smiled and looked out at the city once more. "Finally."

. . .

Meanwhile in Washington D.C., 1890…

Dio Brando smiled maliciously as he overlooked the wide expanse of grass and statues before him. The moon shined the only light he needed to take in the sight of the Washington Monument.

"Ah, America! I've waited oh so long to come here! And to think that this country's capital has _already_ been taken by none other than I, Dio." He spread his arms wide, as if trying to physically take in Washington D.C.

Dio then turned to see the zombified version of President Benjamin Harrison shuffling towards him. "Ah, Mr. President! Sorry for cutting your term a bit short, but you know how it goes. World domination and all that. I know it's a shame to see this glorious country fall to its knees so soon, but my plans will not halt for one country! Now! Shall we see how the home of the brave holds out against my army of the night?!" Dio then grabbed the undead President of the United States over the balcony of the White House.

 _ **Whew! This chapter was a long time coming! Apologies for it taking so long, college keeps me hella busy. I'm usually too tired to write on the weekdays, so I try to get this done on the weekends. And thanks to a certain user who so kindly left their review on this story and put in their own input and ideas, we may be seeing a certain person appear in the world of Remnant.**_

 _ **I know I did the entirety of Volume 4 in one chapter, but hey! Volume 4 is fuckin' boring in my opinion! (Besides the final fight, anyway. Hope you guys enjoyed that.) Sorry if anyone wanted to see how the rest of team RWBY were doing, but like I said before, if the story continues like it normally would, I just skip it instead of writing exactly what happens on-screen. It's boring to write, boring to read since we've already seen what happens, and it saves a lot of time to just skip it.**_

 _ **As usual, please leave a review! Or at least leave a comment about something you liked or disliked! As a writer, I really want to hear from my audience. Even if it's little stuff like "Hey that was a funny line that Jonathan said when this thing happened!" I take any criticism, but hopefully it's mainly the constructive kind.**_


	13. Something's Wrong With Haven

A few days have passed since Jonathan Joestar and his companions reached the city of Mistral. Thanks to modern medicine, Qrow was able to make a full recovery from Tyrian's venom. He'd spent these past few days getting a look around the city or drinking. Meanwhile, Jonathan and RNJR were spending the time to rest and get acquainted with Mistral, since they'd be staying there for the remainder of their huntsman training. _**(*wheeze*)**_

Jonathan had come to quickly enjoy his time in Mistral. The people were extremely friendly and him, being an aspiring archaeologist, absolutely loved the city's seemingly ancient structure. JoJo would usually leave every morning around ten and return to their rented apartment at seven at night. He spent that time exploring the vast city and meeting many new people. It'd always worry Ruby and the others, but no harm ever came to the Englishman. Even when he roamed dark alleyways reminiscent of Ogre Street, the lowly thugs seemed to sense that Jonathan was _not_ one to mess with.

However, one particular day was…interesting. It all started when Qrow gathered Jonathan and RNJR to finally go to Haven Academy and meet the headmaster, Leonardo Lionheart.

The six huntsman and huntresses walked through the dimly lit alleyways of Mistral, not at all far from Haven.

"Whose idea was it to walk again?" Nora asked, referring to the walk from Ruby's house to their current location.

"Well, we did face many obstacles." Ren said. "Broken airships, destroyed settlements…"

"Oh, and all those people and monsters that tried to MURDER US!" Jaune added.

Jonathan turned to the blond with a questioning look on his face, "Is this your first journey like that?"

"Is it not yours?" Jaune asked.

Jonathan raised an eyebrow in response.

"Oh." Jaune replied. "Right."

Despite JoJo telling RNJR of his origins, they surprisingly brought up the topic very little. JoJo hoped it was because they weren't letting the truth change how they felt about him, technically being an alien and all.

"We were _fine._ Only one of us almost died." Ruby said.

"Hey!" Qrow smirked.

"Hey." Ren replied, gaining a giggle from Nora.

"So, how much farther to Haven Academy?" Jaune replied.

"Not much further. Thought I'd take you all on the scenic route." Qrow said, glancing over at the knight. Then, they approached a large set of double doors. Qrow placed both of his hands on them, then pushed them open, revealing the sight of Mistralian houses built into the sides of mountains and large waterfalls pouring down.

Ruby's eyes lit up and she ran forward, leaning onto a wooden hand rail. "Whoa! This. Is. AWESOME!" She exclaimed. Jonathan smiled and went to stand beside her, along with Qrow and the others.

Ruby proceeded to freak out about nearly everything they saw in the market below them, including all the weapons and accessories that vendors sold. Her uncle explained to RNJR and Jonathan that Mistral was an extremely diverse city with a history of having the market they looked down at. He also told them of how and why they built the city into the sides of mountains, which Jonathan was extremely interested in. Finally, the six of them began to ascend further up and towards Haven, and meanwhile, a certain heiress was flying directly towards Mistral…

. . .

Jonathan, RNJR, and Qrow were now walking towards the front door to Haven Academy. The four members of RNJR were approaching the academy with pleasant smiles on their faces, but Qrow and JoJo were casting their eyes from side to side warily. They were both thinking the same thing: this place was way too empty.

"Hmmm…" Qrow 'hmm'd'

"Thinking the same?" Jonathan asked as they continued following Ruby and the others.

"Yeah." Qrow responded. "I don't like it."

"Hello?" Ruby called out. Apparently, she and the others caught on.

"Where is everybody?" Nora asked.

"I dunno." Jaune replied.

By time they all made it inside the building and were heading towards the headmaster's office, they still hadn't seen any students, professors, or civilians. Jonathan and Qrow were constantly on the lookout for any incoming threats. RNJR were slowly beginning to do the same.

" _Great, now if only a zombie or something would jump out so there'd be a good reason for the emptiness."_ Jonathan thought to himself as he silently breathed calmly and steadily, ready to deliver a Hamon blow at a moment's notice.

"HELLOOOO?!" Ruby cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted.

"Maybe try…louder?" Nora suggested.

"It doesn't seem like anyone's here." Ren pointed out.

"Guess school isn't really in session." Jaune said.

"No. That can't be it. Something else is afoot." Jonathan shook his head and got to the front of the group. "But it looks like the headmaster's office is this way." Jonathan said, then began to jog for the large double doors in front of them.

"Hey, wait for us!" Ruby called and ran after him. As soon as the six of them reached the doors, pulled out his large sword and brandished it in front of him. "Could be trouble." He said, then the others immediately brought out their own weapons. Jonathan raised his fists, Hamon radiating from them as he clenched his teeth. Qrow then kicked the door open, and all of them were startled to see a bearded man with shoulder-length hair standing there.

"Ah!" he exclaimed and fell back. In response, team RNJR also shrieked, alarmed expressions on their faces. Qrow then lost his balance, as he'd been standing on one foot from kicking the door, and also fell back.

"Qrow! For crying out loud, you nearly scared me half to death!" the man said, holding a hand to his chest.

"Me? Why weren't you waiting for us outside at the entrance?" Qrow asked.

"Huh?" Lionheart asked, then pulled a small golden pocket watch from his inside pocket. "Oh, right. Apologies. I guess time slipped away from me."

"You're joking." Qrow sighed.

"Headmaster, where is everyone?" Jonathan asked politely. When Lionheart turned to look at him, the headmaster's eyes widened slightly, as if he recognized the Joestar. He recovered quickly, but it didn't go unnoticed by neither Qrow nor JoJo.

"Ah! You must be the students Qrow mentioned."

"Yes sir! Ruby Rose." Ruby gave a salute.

"Jaune Arc."

"Nora Valkyrie!"

"Lie Ren." Ren gave a slight bow.

"Jonathan Joestar." JoJo nodded.

"Right… A pleasure to meet you all." Lionheart greeted. "Leonardo Lionheart, at your service. I'm afraid most of my staff is gone until classes resume, but-"

"What?!" Qrow exclaimed. "Leo you can't be serious. Who's guarding the relic?!"

"Qrow, the children-" Lionheart looked worried.

"Already know. I filled them in." Qrow replied.

"You…filled them in?" Lionheart brought a finger to his chin as if her were contemplating.

Nora leaned in closer to her friends with a puzzled look on her face. "So…is this not going at all like anyone thought it would?"

 _ **('Kay I'm just gonna skip the next scene with Lionheart and the others. Said it before in previous chapters, but I'm not retyping the same events with little change in dialogue (even though I did just that a second ago)**_

. . .

Qrow Branwen sat in a quiet bar, not too far from where his niece and the others stayed, and a young man walked in. He looked about fourteen, with dark brown hair, tan skin, and olive-colored eyes. He wore tattered farmer clothes and a brown pack was on his back.

Qrow had just downed his most recent glass of liquor when he heard someone approach him in the empty bar. He raised an eyebrow and spun in his chair slightly to look at the newcomer. "Hey kid, ain't you a little young to be in here?"

The boy regarded the huntsman for a moment, then looked to the side. "Shut up, I'm getting to that."

Qrow raised an eyebrow. The boy didn't seem to be talking to him. The olive-eyed young man looked back at Qrow, seemingly uncomfortable. "Um…I'm supposed to say, 'I'd like my cane back'?"

Qrow's other eyebrow raised, then he smirked. This was the kid Jonathan had a dream about a while back. The huntsman reached for his belt and pulled off the compacted handle of Professor Ozpin's cane. He tossed it to him, then the boy instinctively caught it and squeezed the handle, extending the cane to its full form.

"Good to have you back, Oz." Qrow said to him, then the huntsman's expression focused. "What's your name, kid?"

"Erm, Oscar. Oscar Pine." Oscar replied.

"Hm. Oscar. Ozpin. It's almost poetic." Qrow chuckled to himself. "Might wanna come with me, kid. It'd be a lot safer than staying around here." Qrow gestured to the bar. Oscar only nodded reluctantly and followed Qrow out of the establishment.

. . .

"JoJo, where are you going?" Ruby asked impatiently. A few hours have passed since they left Qrow and returned to the house the group was staying in, and Jonathan was losing his patience. He cared for the old man and considered him a great mentor, but the whole 'alcoholism' thing drove him mad. Just as Jonathan grabbed his sword and reached to open the door, it was suddenly kicked open in his face.

"SomeBODY- urp- heh heh." Qrow slurred as he entered the room. Jonathan groaned in an annoyed tone and rubbed the red mark on his face that the door left.

"Qrow, where have you bee—" JoJo asked.

"I found him!" Qrow announced and drunkenly walked to the couch and laid down. "I found him." He repeated, but not as loud. Behind Qrow, a small boy stepped into the house. Jonathan raised his eyebrows at the lad, instantly recognizing him- the boy from his dream.

"What is going on out here?!" Ruby demanded as she came into the room from presumably her bedroom. "Can't a girl watch Blue vs. Red in peace?!" Then she saw the state Qrow was in and sighed.

Jonathan continued looking at Oscar with wonder in his eyes. His presence felt familiar somehow, but he couldn't place it. And the way the kid was talking to himself in JoJo's dream? Something's off.

"You…have silver eyes." Oscar said to Ruby. The scythe wielder raised an eyebrow and glanced at Nora, who shrugged her shoulders.

"That's a weird thing to say to someone when you first meet them." Nora commented.

"Tell me about it. That's the first thing that was said to me from Oz…pin." Ruby said, a weird suspicion going through her mind.

"Who are you, lad?" Jonathan asked, crossing his muscular arms.

"Uh…well…" Oscar said and placed his hands behind his back. "My name is Oscar Pine."

"Wait for it…" Qrow said from the couch.

"But…you probably know me better as Professor Ozpin."

Qrow then imitated the sound of an explosion and made a gesture with his hands, aka 'Mind. Blown."

JoJo's eyes widened at short boy before him.

"Heh. Ha-ha. I DID IT!" Qrow sat up and raised his arms victoriously, then proceeded to fall off the couch, out cold.

Ruby immediately facepalmed and sighed.

. . .

"…It's time to get you five into shape." Ozpin pointed at nearly everyone in the room with his cane. He and Qrow had just laid out their plan and told them what was going to be happening. Salem's supposed attack on Haven Academy, Qrow going to look for ally huntsmen and huntresses, and anything they could use against Salem.

"But…we already know how to fight." Ruby replied.

Ozpin/Oscar then pointed their cane at the scythe wielder and held it in her face, _"You_ can only fight if you have your scythe. You're still barely an amateur in hand-to-hand."

"Well, er, yeah." Ruby admitted. Ozpin turned his cane to Jaune. "Mr. Arc! While I'm happy to see that you've improved, you still have yet to unlock your semblance." Then the cane was pointed at Jonathan Joestar. "Mr. Joestar. I'm absolutely thrilled you've unlocked your aura, despite your uh, situation, but you too have some learning to do. You all have a way to go to truly prove a threat against Salem."

"He's already filled them in on his origins." Qrow said.

"Ah." Ozpin replied.

"Who would even teach us if Qrow is going to go look for huntsmen?" Jaune asked.

Ozpin smirked and did a flamboyant flip, landing on a recliner behind him. "I believe I _was_ the headmaster of Beacon." He said, but two voices were heard. His and Oscar's, at the same time.

Team RNJR was left to stand there with shocked expressions on their faces at their former headmaster's antics while Jonathan and Qrow stood exasperated. The action reminded Jonathan of when Zeppeli would do his odd hop from a seated position.

Professor Ozpin spun his cane in his hand at a rapid speed and smirked at the people in the room. "You five better get to bed and get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a long, hard day of training. Starting with Ruby's hand-to-hand." Ruby groaned in response and hung her arms at her sides.

Then Ozpin's eyes flashed green, and he lost his balance in the chair and fell back.

"Oscar's back." Nora said. In response, Oscar groaned. "Please don't tell me I did anything embarrassing." He sighed.

"Sorry, kid." Qrow chuckled.

"Great."

Jonathan chuckled lightly and scratched his beard. His thoughts turned to Yang, Blake, and Weiss, and his expression turned sad. He missed his teammates, and he knows that Ruby and JNPR do too. Then he remembered his home, England. He thought of how much he's missed his father this past year and cast his eyes down. Images of his home aflame and Dio's evil cackle over the roar of the flames. With such bad memories in mind, the Joestar turned away from his allies and walked towards his temporary room.

While everyone else laughed together and generally had a good time, Qrow and Ruby watched as Jonathan sulked to his bunk. When Ruby turned to gauge her uncle's face, he nodded towards the direction Jonathan had gone in and smirked at her. The scythe wielder nodded and stood, walking to JoJo's room.

Jonathan was laying on his bunk with his large arms resting behind his head and staring up at the ceiling when a soft knock came to his door. He sat up just as Ruby poked her head in. "JoJo? You okay?" She asked with a soft tone to her voice.

"I- Yeah, Ruby. I'm alright." He answered.

"You sure? Cause it seems like something's up." She replied as she entered the room and shut the door behind her.

Jonathan sighed. Not at her, but at the memories floating through his head. "I'm just homesick."

"Oh." Was all Ruby said. Jonathan patted the bed space next to him, then Ruby sat down with a hint of hesitation.

"Remember what I told all of you in the forest after the fight with Tyrian?" He asked, and Ruby nodded in response. Then JoJo continued, "My father was the kindest man I've ever known. He may have been tough on me during my childhood, but it was for good reason. He and I were thick as thieves before my adopted brother came along. Dio was intent on ruining my life in any way possible."

Ruby only nodded in response. She figured this was more of a vent session and it was best for her to stay silent.

"From ruining the first and only romantic relationship I've ever had to murdering my beloved dog, Danny, he—"

"He WHAT?!" Ruby exclaimed at the mention of ill intent towards a dog.

"…Did I forget that part before?" Jonathan blinked.

"YES." Ruby responded. In all reality, the young girl probably wasn't listening if Jonathan mentioned Danny. "HOW COULD SOMEONE- HOW EVIL DO YOU HAVE TO BE- WHAT THE HECK?!" She shouted out, then quickly grabbed a pillow and screamed into it.

Jonathan understood how she felt, only he felt much worse when it actually happened. JoJo smiled to himself at his memories with his pet. Once Ruby calmed down enough, he leaned forward on the bed and rested his elbows on his knees, looking down at the carpet. "Would you like to know how Danny and I met?"

Ruby looked over to the Englishman and nodded. Jonathan smiled warmly at Ruby then returned his attention to the carpet. "When I was a lad, maybe five or six years of age, I was a lonesome child. I didn't have any friends because of my status as a nobleman, and therefore had no one to spend time with. Then one day, my father brought home a black and white Great Dane to be my companion. We loathed each other at first. When I would try to pet him, he'd bite me. I even went so far as to throw stones at the poor animal to get back at him. Things weren't great between us. Then, one day when I was out swimming by myself, I got tired and started drowning. Scared the life out of me, it did. But Danny came to the rescue! He swam me out of that creek, then from there on out, we were the best of friends. When Dio came into my life, he told me right off the bat, 'I hate mongrels of all kinds! I don't fear them; I just hate the way they fawn over the unworthy. So keep that mutt Danny away from me'. Then later on, he… he tied wire around his mouth to keep it shut and not make any noise and stuffed him in a wooden box and nailed it shut. Dio put that box in my home's incinerator to be burned along with the garbage. I wasn't even home during it, and neither was Dio, but I knew he did it. No one else would've." By time Jonathan finished, a single tear trailed down his cheek and fell to the floor.

"That's horrible! How could…why would he do such a thing?" Ruby said, holding her hands over her mouth.

"Because he hated me. He wanted to take away everything I held dear, and he did just that. My home, my father, Danny, my friend William Zeppeli, and… Erina. But luckily Erina is safe. She tended my burns when my home was lit aflame. At least… I hope she's safe. There's no telling what has happened in the time I've been gone…" He said mournfully. But he looked up when he felt a hand placed on his shoulder. Ruby looked him in the eye with determination. "We'll find you a way home, JoJo." She promised.

"How? Everyone that was working on that is scattered across the globe, save for Qrow and Ozpin now." He blinked.

"We'll figure something out." She repeated and balled both of her fists. Jonathan chuckled at the younger girl's determination. "I hope so, Ruby. Thank you for listening, it… feels really good to vent to someone." He thanked.

"No problem, JoJo. But… I have one question."

"Hm?"

"…Is there something I need to tell Yang, about this Erina girl?" She gave a cheeky smile.

"God forbid, no. She'd punch me through a house."

Ruby chuckled, then looked at him again. "Speaking of that… What are your intentions about that?"

"I… Do not know. Yang's great, and it's extremely obvious that she has a thing for me, but… I don't know how to feel about it. On one hand, Erina is waiting for me back in England, but on the other, I have no way of knowing if I'll ever _make_ it back, and Yang's, well, quite amazing, to be honest. We work well together, and there's never a dull moment. But also, Erina…" he trailed off. Ruby could only nod, but she didn't, couldn't, understand what he meant.

"Well, anything else you wanna get off your chest? Or are you ready to rejoin the others?" Ruby asked, then Jonathan glanced at the digital alarm clock on his bunk's nightstand. The time was ten-thirty-seven.

"Actually, I think I'm going to turn in for the night. If Ozpin is serious, we're gonna need our rest." He said, and Ruby nodded then stood.

"All right. Well… good night, JoJo." She smiled and put a hand on his shoulder, then opened the door to leave. "Everything's gonna turn out okay." She smiled, then left the room, closing the door behind her.

"I hope so, Ruby." Jonathan sighed, then turned over and shut his lamp off.

. . .

Jonathan's dreams were filled with images of his former teammates. Weiss alone in a wooden cage in the middle of what looked like a large camp, her white skirt dirtied and ripped in various places. Then it changed into Blake and Sun Wukong racing across rooftops, chasing a shadowed figure in the dead of night, the shattered moon large in the sky. Just as Sun clapped his hands together to use his semblance, the dream morphed and changed. Yang sat at a bar with a bottle of water in front of her and an odd-looking man beside her. Judging by the man's behavior, he was intoxicated. He reached out to touch Yang's hair, and Jonathan prepared for what was about to happen. She caught the man's wrist, then punched him straight in the face, sending him comically bouncing between the floor and ceiling until he flew out the door. Then the dream shifted yet again. In the middle of a forest an army of zombies roamed towards the dim lights of a distant city. Standing at the rear of them atop a horse-drawn carriage was none other than Dio Brando. He stood with a sneer on his face as his army of undead moaned and groaned before him.

" _Dio!"_ Jonathan exclaimed at the sight, but there was nothing he could do besides watch.

Dio Brando chuckled and spread his arms wide as if he were trying to embrace the sky. _"None can stand in my way now! My army of zombies has finally claimed North America in its entirety, and now—Mexico and the rest of Central and South America!"_ He cackled into the night sky. Jonathan's dream form gritted his teeth as he floated through the air, following his adopted brother as if he were on autopilot. He was forced to watch the power-crazed vampire in all his insanity. Then, something happened. Something caught Dio's eye, as if he sensed something.

" _Zombies, halt!"_ he ordered, then hopped off his carriage and began to walk through the dense forest.

" _What are you up to, Dio?!"_ Jonathan demanded. Dio pushed through some bushes until he found a clearing. He saw a large, ancient rock formation that was anything but natural. The ancients must have carved out the rock for their own uses. A wide river roared beside the rock formation, but the vampire simply hopped over it with his superior agility.

" _I do not know why, but this cave calls to me…"_ Dio said aloud as he entered. Jonathan scanned the cave while he could. According to his archeological knowledge, this was made by the ancient Aztecs, but it seemed older somehow.

Dio's eyes widened as he entered the large chamber within. There were many engravings in the walls and floor, along with a large tree-like pillar in the center, but what caught the two brothers' attention was…

" _Stone Masks!"_ Jonathan gasped. Lining the walls were dozens, no, hundreds of stone masks identical to the one JoJo studied for most of his life. A fanged grin spread on Dio's face as he looked upon the walls, and a low laughing emitted from his throat. But something caught Jonathan's eye, and Dio noticed it too, judging by the way his laugh came to an abrupt halt.

Dio Brando approached the large pillar in the center of the room with curiosity on his face. _"Is this…?"_ He wondered aloud.

" _No way…"_ Jonathan's eyes widened as Dio neared it.

ゴ

ゴ

ゴ

ゴ

ゴ

"A man stuck in the pillar!" Jonathan exclaimed.

A smile spread on Dio's face and he placed a hand on the man's chest. _"Are you the creator of the Stone Mask, my friend? If so, perhaps you can assist me in my conquest. I, Dio Brando, have transcended humanity and became the ultimate being! I'll allow you to work under me, granted you follow your orders."_ he spoke to it with malicious intent.

" _No… No, you mustn't! Dio, if you have any sense at all, you will_ __ _not awaken this man! This…_ _ **Pillar Man!**_ _"_ Jonathan shouted at his adopted brother.

" _Hm?"_ Dio turned and scanned the room. _"For a moment, I could've sworn…"_

' _He heard me…'_ Jonathan thought to himself. Then Dio turned back to the man encased in the pillar. _"Given the country I found you in, I think I'll call you… Santviento! …No, that's preposterous. Someone as mighty as you deserves a far more suitable title!"_ Dio told it.

" _Santana?"_ Jonathan thought aloud.

" _I've got it! Santana!"_ Dio laughed.

" _Oh, come on!"_ JoJo sighed.

" _You'll be my greatest success story! Besides conquering this pathetic world, that is. Together, you and I, Dio Brando, will reimagine the power of the Stone Mask and rise to become an even more powerful being!"_ Dio monologued.

" _This… this isn't good. I have to find a way back to Earth right now!"_ JoJo put his hands on the sides of his face.

Dio's laughter was the last thing Jonathan heard before he shot up in his bed in a cold sweat. The Joestar grabbed the alarm clock next to him to check the time. Five-thirty in the morning. Jonathan threw his blanket off his legs and stood, pacing the small bedroom.

" _Not good, not good. If Dio awakens that man in the pillar, Earth might as be gone already! Gagh!"_ He ran his fingers through his dark blue hair and squeezed his eyes shut. _"Take a deep breath, Joestar. It's not over yet. You can take Dio and this pillar man, thanks to this world's weapons and training. Hell, I could probably get some help from this world's inhabitants once I find a way back! Yeah!"_ Jonathan grinned and balled a fist, raising it in front of him. _"You can do this."_

. . .

"Mistress, it appears that the planet 'Earth' has nearly been taken over by that man. But the surface has millions of undead roaming on it. How are we supposed to take care of this?" Doctor Watts asked Salem, who sat atop her dark throne like usual.

"Worry not, Watts. The plan is in play. I've been spectating this man, Dio Brando. He shows great promise." Salem replied. Watts' eyes widened slightly, "You're not planning to—"

"I might just be." Salem interrupted.

"What do you plan to do once he's here?"

"Simple. Recruitment." Salem mused.

"You and I both know this 'man' is not going to submit to you, nor anyone." Watts said with a distressed tone.

"Perhaps not, but it doesn't matter either way. He will submit, or die. One way or another, that world is _mine."_ Salem replied.

. . .

Oscar Pine and Ruby Rose were fighting. They desperately swung their fists at each other using techniques that were only just taught to them by Jonathan. After a few minutes of sloppily connecting blows, Ruby finally knocked Oscar on his rear and jumped in celebration. Then Ozpin took over, and it was an entirely different fight. Ruby went on the defensive, trying to block and counter Ozpin's expertly thrown punches and kicks to no avail. She was knocked back, and the fight went to Ozpin/Oscar.

Jonathan was hardly paying attention to the fight. He was too busy reflecting on his most recent dreams and trying to figure out Dio's motive. He hadn't told Ozpin or anyone else yet.

"Jonathan!" Ozpin shouted.

"Hm?" Jonathan picked his head up.

"Your turn for sparring. Your opponent? Me." He smirked at the visibly taller Joestar. Jonathan stood and looked down at the boy with a raised eyebrow. "You sure?"

"Of course." Ozpin replied. "Oscar needs the experience."

" _Please don't me fight the big guy…"_ Oscar whined in his head.

"Now prepare yourself!" Ozpin got in a fighting stance and handed the controls over to Oscar. JoJo only shrugged and took his overcoat off, tossing it to the side and raising his fists. "Very well, then." Jonathan said.

Oscar reluctantly rushed the much larger Englishman. _"Think! He's much bigger than you, so what do you do?"_ Ozpin said to Oscar. _"I don't know! Maybe, um, go for his legs?"_

Oscar slid on the dirt and tackled JoJo's tree-sized legs. _"Very good! Now what?"_

" _I have no idea!"_ Oscar panicked. Jonathan easily shook the small boy off his leg and slung him ten feet away. JoJo sprinted towards his former headmaster and raised his fist into the air, intending on bringing it down on Oscar's head.

" _Move!"_ Ozpin shouted.

"Ah!" Oscar dove out of the way just as Jonathan's fist collided with the dirt. Hesitantly, Oscar attempted to kick JoJo's ankle. _"It's no good! He's way too strong!"_

" _Not if you use your head, Oscar."_ Ozpin replied calmly. Then the teen thought of something. He grabbed a handful of dirt and threw it into the Joestar's face. Jonathan recoiled, clutching at his face to rub the dirt out of his vision.

" _Now!"_

Oscar rushed Jonathan with a more determined stride. He delivered a swift kick to his calf and JoJo grunted in response. Jonathan growled and caused Hamon to sparkle on his eyelids, effectively dispelling the dirt and clear his eyes. JoJo gritted his teeth and grabbed Oscar's wrist.

" _Welp, that's the end."_ Ozpin sighed.

" _Oh shi—"_ Oscar's eyes widened, then a powerful punch was delivered to Oscar's gut. When Jonathan released his wrist, Oscar doubled over and coughed hard, clutching his stomach.

"Not fair…" Oscar groaned.

"Your enemies aren't going to play fair." Jonathan replied and stuck his hand out. Oscar coughed again and took his hand, allowing the Joestar to help him up. "Good effort, though. With more help, you could become quite the effective fighter." Jonathan complimented.

"Th- thanks." Oscar winced.

" _I do believe that's enough for now. How about you take a break and let the others practice for a while."_ Ozpin suggested. Oscar nodded in response and went to go sit by Jaune.

"Alright," Jonathan said and slammed his fist into his open palm, much like Yang used to. "Who's next?"

An hour later…

Jaune, Ren, Oscar, and Ruby stumbled into the house clutching random bruised parts on their bodies and groaning. Only JoJo and Nora seemed unfazed by the hand-to-hand training.

"Ow…" Ruby groaned as she sat on the couch.

"I don't think even Pyrrha would've done that during our training…" Jaune groaned as he fixed and icepack and held it to his head.

"Aw, you guys are a bunch of pansies!" Nora told them as she cheerfully entered the house. Jonathan grinned with his overcoat slung over one shoulder and patted Nora on the back. "If you guys think _that_ was rough, you should've seen what my mentor Zeppeli put me through with my Hamon training."

"I don't even wanna know." Jaune groaned. JoJo smirked and turned to Nora. "Just give the word when you would like to train, Nora. I'm glad there's someone here that can match my endurance in combat."

"You got it, JoJo. Some of these _WEAKLINGS_ don't like a good fight!" Nora said, but that last comment was more for the others.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Ruby sighed as she laid across the couch and covered her head with a pillow.

"Next, we should teach them how to dodge attacks rather than try to tank them like you." Jonathan told Nora.

"Wayyy ahead of you, Joestar. I'll start right now." She grinned, then grabbed a stool and chucked it at Jaune. "DODGE!" She shouted, but the stool missed him and crashed into the wall.

"Nora!" Jaune exclaimed.

"You were supposed to dodge!" Nora rebutted.

"I didn't mean like that!" Jonathan told her.

"Hey, it works! Trust me, I know. I used to know this guy and—ah, never mind. Let's just say that's how he trained in the art of 'dodge'. He also had some weird vendetta against the moon. For all I know, he's the reason why it looks like that." Nora said.

"…Okay." Jonathan blinked.

. . .

It's been days since Qrow left his niece and the others to search for any huntsmen that could prove as allies, and the search wasn't going well. Out of the dozens of huntsmen and huntresses he searched for, he found none. All of them were missing or worse. Qrow was running out of options here. Then again there's always that kid… What was his name? Peter Johnson? No, that couldn't have been the name. Anyways, there's no way Qrow would bother him. That kid earned his early retirement, he's not going to be taken out of it so easily.

Qrow sighed and clicked through his scroll, trying to find someone he hasn't searched for yet. With every rhythmic tap on his scroll, the huntsman groaned. Josuke Higashikata? Missing. Magnus Mundus? Missing. Kassandra Kallisto? Missing. Okuyasu Nijimura? Missing. His brother, Keicho? Gone. Giorno Giovanna? What kind of name even is that? It doesn't matter, he's missing too. Was there anyone still around? There's no way _all_ of them are gone.

Or so he thought.

. . .

It's been days since Qrow left to search for his fellow huntsmen. But when Ruby got the call that he'd be returning, she had the idea to cook a big welcoming dinner for her uncle and the huntsmen and huntresses that would be helping them.

The scythe wielder smiled as she set the table, putting down the plates, utensils, and even chopsticks. Jonathan still wasn't used to using the thin pieces of wood to eat with, so he mentally decided he'd just use a good 'ol fork and knife. After helping them set up and chop carrots into a pot, JoJo went to see if Jaune needed any help. But what they didn't know was that Qrow had already returned.

"So, JoJo, when are you going to shave that beard of yours?" Nora asked as she popped a sliced carrot into her mouth.

"Yeah!" Ruby said.

"I don't know, I quite like it." Jonathan smiled and scratched his chin.

"I'm back!" Qrow called out.

"Oh! Okay." Ruby said and picked up a platter with cups of hot tea on top. She entered the living area where Qrow surely was and said, "So, we didn't know who all was coming so we kinda just cooked all the food."

Then Jonathan and the others could hear glass breaking and Ruby's voice getting a distressed tone to it.

"Ruby?" JoJo asked and looked towards where she went with a raised eyebrow. He shrugged at Jaune, then went after her. Jonathan entered the living room and his eyes widened at what he saw. Yang Xiao Long and Ruby were hugging, and tears could be seen in Ruby's eyes. Jonathan looked past them to see Weiss Schnee standing next to Qrow. Weiss gave a small wave and a smile at the sight of the Englishman. Then Jaune and the others walked in and their faces lit up.

Once Ruby and Yang separated, they turned to Weiss and spread their arms. "Weiss?" Ruby said, then the heiress' attention snapped to them. She'd averted her eyes and wiped a tear off her face when the sisters had done this.

Weiss smiled gratefully and practically dove into their arms, and for a little while, everything was good.

After a few seconds, the small group hug stopped, and they turned their attention to the others. Yang's eyes widened when she saw Jonathan in with his beard, overcoat, and slightly longer hair. She clamped a hand over her own mouth to contain her laughter at the sight. JoJo frowned, but a smile quickly replaced it.

"Nice to see you, too, Yang." He said, then Yang couldn't help it. She put her hands on her knees and laughed for the first time since in her home with Taiyang, Professor Port, and Professor Oobleck.

After it died down, she looked up at JoJo to see him crossing his arms. "What is wrong with your face?" She asked.

"What's wrong with your arm?" Jonathan fired back without thinking. Then everyone gasped and he realized what he said. "My apologies, I wasn't think—" he tried to apologize, but was suddenly interrupted when a yellow fist collided with his chest. JoJo flew back and slammed against the nearest wall, then fell to his hands and knees. When he looked up, he expected to see a very angry Yang with red eyes, but instead he saw her smirking down at him with her hand extended. Jonathan took it and was helped to his feet.

"It seems JoJo's grown a pair since Beacon." Yang said to her friends, and they laughed in response. Not at him, obviously, but with him. And soon enough a smile spread on the Joestar's face.

"Good to have you back, Yang." He told her.

. . .

"Let's dig in!" Nora shouted as a pot of noodles and vegetables was set down on a table. For the past twenty minutes, all of them had been catching up, swapping stories on what they'd been doing since Beacon.

"How do you lose your map at a time like that?" Yang said after she was done laughing.

"Believe me, I've asked myself the same thing ever since." Jaune sighed.

"Hey, but you made up for it! You should've seen Jaune take a giant Grimm head on." Nora smiled.

"And what were you doing during all this?" Weiss asked Jonathan.

"Oh, this man right here? This beautiful hunk of muscle and good manners? This man right here single-handedly brought the thing to its knees with his Hamon." Nora grinned and clapped a hand to Jonathan's back. JoJo smiled meekly and held up his hands, "Please, all I did was keep it busy. The rest of you finished the job."

"Oh, don't get all modest on us." Ren laughed. Then Weiss began her story, and by the time she was finished, the pot of noodles was half empty.

"You _what?"_ Ruby asked.

"Yeah. Right in the middle of the party." Weiss said with her face in her hands.

"I would've done the same thing." Jonathan smirked and scooped a fork-full of noodles into his mouth.

All eyes turned to him. "What?" Jonathan asked, then swallowed the noodles.

"You're telling me, that you, Jonathan Joestar, would have done that exact same thing?" Yang asked.

"Yes." Jonathan sniffed. "Do you realize how many times I've wanted to do something similar during my father's formal parties like that? So many rude people…"

But they still stared at him disbelievingly.

"Wait, wait, wait. You summoned a boarbatusk?" Nora asked. To which, Weiss proudly nodded. "No way, I don't believe it!" Nora crossed her arms. Then a white and blue boarbatusk appeared next to her then she yelped and jumped back. Everyone laughed in response.

Then after some more storytelling, the pot of noodles was empty, and Yang stood proudly at the head of the table. She was telling everyone about her new prosthetic arm, said arm was raised as if she were flexing her muscles.

"It's no replacement for the real thing, but I'll make do." She smiled.

"Ooooh!" Ruby's eyes twinkled. "And it's just as strong?"

Before Yang could even answer, Nora slammed her elbow onto the table with a devious grin on her face. "Care to find out?"

"Uh-oh." Jaune said.

Soon enough, Yang and Nora sat on opposite ends of the table with people on either side, cheering for who they wanted to win. Ruby and Weiss were on Yang's side while Ren and Jaune were on Nora's. Jonathan stood at the head of the table and held Yang and Nora's hands together. He was reluctantly acting as coach for the proceeding arm wrestle.

"Ready?" He asked Nora. She nodded with a determined grin on her face. Then he turned to Yang. "Ready?"

"You know I'm ready, big guy." She winked at him. JoJo smirked, "And… Go!" he released their hands.

Everyone began cheering for their teammates as Yang and Nora pulled on each other's arm with all their might.

"Come on, sis! You can't lose to a girl in a skirt!" Ruby shouted.

"Ruby, you wear a skirt." Weiss sighed.

Ruby shook Weiss' shoulders violently, "Weiss, you're not cheering loud enough!"

Jonathan was amazed the table hadn't splintered yet. He'd seen just how strong Yang and Nora was, and them going head-to-head like this couldn't have been good for the furniture.

"It definitely feels like the original." Nora grunted.

"Yeah, but this has a few modifications that the old one couldn't have done." Yang grinned.

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Nora grinned.

"Like… This!" Yang said, then Nora flew backwards and into a wall. Everyone stared at the Valkyrie as Yang burst out laughing. JoJo looked to see that Yang's prosthetic was missing.

Nora dizzily sat up and looked to find Yang's yellow arm still gripping her hand.

"Ah!" Nora yelped and threw the arm across the room, which Yang caught with ease and reattached. Everyone blinked at the curious scene but smiled at Yang's laughter.

. . .

Dirty plates clanked as Jaune picked them all up along with the pot and carried them into the kitchen. "Ugh, we ate it all. I think I'm gonna be sick." He groaned.

"Easy there, vomit boy." Yang told him with a smirk.

"Oh, we're doing old nicknames now. Great." Jaune said with faked enthusiasm.

Weiss giggled at that, then Nora smirked. "I mean, the Ice Queen seems to like it."

Ruby laughed very loudly at that.

"I so did not miss you people." Weiss rolled her eyes with a smile.

Nora gasped, "Oh my gosh! She really does like it! What went and warmed your heart while you were gone?"

"Hey! You make it sound like I used to be terrible." Weiss said.

"You kinda were, for a while." Jonathan smirked.

"Jonathan!" Weiss gasped.

"What? You remember the dance?"

"He does have a point." Ruby said.

"It's been so long since then. We've all grown in our own ways." Ren said.

"You really think so?" Jaune asked.

"Well, think back to when we were all at Beacon, would you ever say you did anything foolish or embarrassing? Or do you think you were perfect?" Ren asked, that last comment directed towards Weiss.

"…Oh, gosh." Weiss put her head in her hands.

"I _may_ have been a little too gung-ho from time to time." Yang said.

"Heh, _you?_ I tried to 1v1 a Nevermore on the second day of school." Ruby commented.

"Yeah, well, don't even get me started." Jaune said.

"Hey, at least you guys could do something during that night in Beacon. Ruby stopped Torchwick's airship control, Weiss and many others fought to protect the campus, I toiled around trying to fight Cinder." JoJo looked at Yang then, a sad look in his eyes. "I should've gone with you when you asked. Maybe you wouldn't have… wouldn't have lost your arm, and I'm sorry."

"JoJo, it's not your fault." Yang told him as she got up and put a hand on his shoulder. "You shouldn't blame yourself for anything, especially that."

"I agree. JoJo, we all know you did your best in that fight." Jaune told him.

"I could've stopped her. I was fighting her when she… killed the Fall Maiden. If I didn't leave when Ozpin told me, Pyrrha might still be alive." Jonathan said. He hadn't meant to go on like this, but seeing Yang and Weiss stirred some pent-up thoughts he'd been having for the past few months.

Oscar's eyes flashed green, then the boy took on a somber expression. "Jonathan, that was not your fault. It's mine. There was nothing you could've done to stop that woman, and I know. Trust me, she killed me." He said as he approached the tall Joestar. "None of the blame is on you."

"Hey, this is supposed to be a happy time! Shake off that frown and cheer up." Nora told him, lightly punching his shoulder. Jonathan smirked and looked at each of them, then nodded.

"Besides, if we see her again, we've all got beef with her." Yang smiled. Jonathan looked down at the blonde and pounded his fist into his open palm.

"That's the spirit!" Nora smiled. "Now, let's get back to our happy conversation!"

"Actually," Ozpin said. "There's something we need to all talk about." Everyone looked at him with questioning expression.

. . .

"So everything, Salem, magic, the Maidens, it's all true?" Weiss asked.

"Indeed." Jonathan said, standing with his arms crossed. He, Qrow, and Ozpin had just explained to everyone, well, everything.

"Is that close to what your mother told you, Yang?" Ozpin asked. She didn't answer.

"More or less." Weiss answered for her.

"You're forgetting one thing." Yang said, then looked the headmaster in the eye. "You forgot to tell us what you did to Qrow and my mother."

"Yang—" Qrow said, but Ozpin raised a hand to silence him.

Ozpin sighed, "That's not something I thought she would give up so easily. Your mother must trust you a great deal." He looked at her. Jonathan was puzzled as to what the brawler meant, and he bet his right hand that everyone else was too. He didn't know what exactly happened in the Branwen bandit camp, but perhaps he was about to find out.

"My ability to reincarnate, though a curse, isn't without a few key benefits. Much like the Maidens, I too possess a certain… 'magical' power." Ozpin then stood and walked towards Qrow with his cane. "Using this power, I was able to gift the Branwen twins the ability to 'see' more, to move freely and be unburdened by their natural bodies. I… Well… I gave them the ability to turn into birds. Rather ridiculous sounding out loud, isn't it?"

"You… What?" JoJo asked.

"Uncle…?" Ruby said.

"You turned them… into birds." Ren repeated.

"Alright, now I know you're just messing with us." Nora said and crossed her arms.

"He's telling the truth." Weiss said, then all eyes turned to her. "Yang's mom…changed. Right in front of us."

"Why would you do something like that?" Yang asked the professor. "I mean, what's _wrong_ with you?"

"Yang," Qrow interrupted. "That's enough. We made a choice. We wanted this."

JoJo blinked, _"What in the world…?"_

"May I?" Ozpin asked, then Qrow nodded. "Granting this power to them was no trivial task, and I can assure you it was not done frivolously. It was done to gather intelligence on our enemies and Maidens whose hosts were unclear."

"Okay, so, have you done this with others?" Ruby asked. "Like General Ironwood or Professor Goodwitch?"

"As helpful as that might be, unfortunately it's not that simple. My power is finite, and if I am being honest, dwindling. The amount I gifted to Qrow and Raven was, all things considered, miniscule. You see, centuries ago, I sacrificed a great deal of magic to four young women, who I hoped would use my gift for good. _They_ were the first Maidens." Ozpin then turned to Yang. "Miss Xiao Long, it was never my intention to lie to you, to any of you. There are just some matters that I prefer to… 'play close to the chest'. I believe that's how you phrased it?" He said, looking to Qrow.

"Heh. Yeah." The huntsman responded.

Then Oz turned to the others, "Everyone has a choice. The Branwens chose to accept their powers and all the responsibilities that came with them. And later, one of them chose to abandon her duties, in favor of her own self-interest. Now, all of you have a choice. If anyone wishes to leave, now is the time. There is no shame or disgrace in abstaining, only in retreat."

Everyone glanced at each other rather nervously but did not answer.

"Very well, then." Ozpin gave a grateful smile. But then Yang stood.

"Yang?" Ruby asked.

Jonathan raised an eyebrow at the blonde but said nothing. If he knew her, which he did, she wouldn't back out of this.

"If Ruby sticks around, then I will too. If there's one thing I know about her, it's that she always knows the right thing to do. But, if we're going to help, if we're going to keep risking our lives, no more lies. No more half-truths." She said.

Jonathan nodded, _"I knew it."_

"…Understood." Ozpin nodded, then Yang sat down.

"So… What now?" Jonathan asked.

"Hm, that is a difficult question. One that I believe is best answered tomorrow." Oz answered.

"What do you mean?" Jaune asked.

"The road ahead is undoubtedly filled with hardships and peril. However, it has been far too long since you have all been together. Please, take tonight, enjoy this moment." He replied and put a hand on Yang's shoulder, then his eyes flashed green again and Oscar was back. The kid jumped back at touching the blonde's shoulder then she and Weiss giggled.

"Actually, there's…one more thing we need to discuss." Jonathan said and unfolded his arms.

"What do you mean?" Yang asked.

JoJo smiled slightly then nodded at Qrow. "I'm not… from around here." Jonathan said, gaining a raised eyebrow from both Weiss and Yang.

One retelling of Phantom Blood later…

"…You're joking." Weiss said once Jonathan was done. He really only focused on the fact that he was from Earth but threw in the details of his upbringing for added effect. Perhaps it'd help connect a few dots.

"He's serious." Qrow said.

Weiss looked around the room. Everyone's expressions were like stone. She thought that someone would yell, "Sike!" Then they'd all laugh, but it didn't happen.

"Yang?" Jonathan asked. The blonde was sitting there with her eyes downcast.

"So you're telling me," She said with an uncomfortably calm voice. "You're from a different _planet?"_

JoJo nodded in response.

"That… Actually makes a lot of sense." She said. "Explains why you couldn't take a punch in Beacon."

Jonathan smiled. He thought she'd have a fit.

"You're taking it extremely well." Ozpin commented.

"Let's just say that it's just another crazy thing to stack on top of the crazy pile." Yang replied.

"…You have a point."

Jonathan chuckled and ran his fingers through his hair. Then his expression hardened. "One more thing." He said, looking at Qrow and Ozpin.

Jonathan then told everyone about his latest dream. Seeing Blake, Weiss, Yang, and Dio Brando. By the time he was finished, everyone looked even more confused than they already did.

"This is troubling. Extremely troubling." Ozpin said. He took control back over Oscar as soon as JoJo finished. "I wish there was a way to fix this immediately."

"Wait, you said you're all magic and stuff, so why don't you just bippity boppity make a portal for JoJo?" Nora asked.

"Because I can't. That's far beyond any power I've known. In fact, there's only one person that can do that: the woman that brought him here."

"Salem." Ruby said.

"Correct, Miss Rose. Only she can return what's been brought." Ozpin nodded.

"Well great…" Jonathan cast his eyes down.

"Hey big guy, don't get all upset now." Yang put a hand on his shoulder from behind when the Joestar turned to face away from them. He welcomed the gesture, putting his hand on hers.

"We'll figure something out, Jonathan. I promise you." Ozpin said. What they were saying was awfully like what Ruby told him.

"I believe you. But I also believe that it may be far too late by time that happens." He said, then exited the house to go sit outside.

"I'll go get him." Yang volunteered then followed the Joestar.

Once she left, Weiss broke the silence. "So, he's an alien then?"

Yang closed the door behind her and turned to see Jonathan standing at the opposite end of the yard, leaning onto the rail near the cliff edge and looking over the dark forest beneath. The brawler sighed and walked out to stand next to him.

"You okay?" she asked, looking over to Jonathan.

"I think I will be. It's just…you have no clue how useless I feel, unable to do anything about my problems back home." He replied, never taking his eyes off of the forest and kingdom of Mistral.

"You're right, I don't. But that doesn't mean I can't try to help you feel better." She said.

He didn't answer.

"I'm sorry about your dad. And your home. And that Zeppeli man. And your dog." She continued, listing off all he'd lost.

"Thanks for the reminder." He sighed.

"…Sorry."

"It's alright. I'm only messing with you." He allowed a small smile.

"Of course you are." She shook her head and chuckled.

"How've you been, Yang? Since your uncle and I left, I mean."

"I got better. Stopped moping around the house and started being useful again. But… I missed you and Ruby. I'm just glad my dad was there to help me out of the funk I was in." She replied. Jonathan nodded in response and turned his head to face her. Then she smirked and grabbed his hand, pulling him away from the rail and to the center of the yard.

"C'mon, it's been months since you and I sparred." She smiled and raised her fists. Jonathan got into a boxing stance and met her eyes. "True, but this time I won't go easy on you." He told her.

"What do you mean 'easy'?" She smiled, then rushed him. JoJo's eyes widened and he instantly sidestepped, catching her fist in one hand and delivering three rapid blows to it with the other. Yang only grinned in response. Jonathan realized he was holding her prosthetic hand.

He immediately released it and stepped back. Yang smirked and tried to sweep his legs out from under him, only for him to hop over her leg and deliver a Superman punch to her cheek. The blonde stumbled back and raised her arms to defend from any proceeding blows, but none came. Jonathan gave a small smile and walked towards her calmly.

"Learned a few new moves from your Uncle during the journey here." He told her as he raised his arms in an odd fighting stance. Yang raised an eyebrow and smirked at the Englishman.

"Good, that old-fashioned boxing style was getting a little old." She told him.

"Hey, that fighting style works quite well." He said as they squared off.

"Maybe, but it's good to learn better tricks."

"I'm not one for trickery." Jonathan told her.

"Could've fooled me with that rope trick during our first fight." She said.

In order to end the conversation early, JoJo threw a jab at her, which she dodged easily. Yang delivered a few punches to Jonathan's ribcage, but he didn't seem to feel it. JoJo parried a jab and used his elbow to strike Yang across the face. Then, to give a callback to better times, he punched her square in the chest and sent her boots digging into the dirt as she slid back. Jonathan smirked when he saw her smile, but it quickly faded when he saw her eyes. Naturally, they were red. She charged the Joestar, her hair dimly glowing in the darkness.

" _Now we're getting serious,"_ Jonathan thought to himself.

He did his best to block her powerful punches, but it was all he could do to not be overtaken. JoJo sidestepped one of her blows and delivered a particularly powerful punch to her chin, but she kept going as if it didn't happen. Then she seemed to punch him even harder, gradually wearing down the Joestar's aura that hasn't been trained as much as the others'. Then his eyes widened in realization, _"That's right, her semblance. The more you hit her, the stronger she gets."_ JoJo smirked. _"Lucky for me, I'm the same way!"_ He then caught one of her fists and spun her around, punching the huntress in the back as hard as he could then tripping her. As soon as she hit the dirt, Jonathan kicked her in the side and sent Yang flying several feet away.

She grinned and punched the ground, then got back on her feet and rushed him.

Little did they know, the others were watching them through the windows.

"Looks like they're back to their old selves." Jaune commented.

"It's as if they never separated." Ren said. Ruby smiled to herself as she watched.

Yang went on the offensive. She sent punch after punch after the Joestar only for him to block or return it in kind. It was how their sparring matches always used to go. They'd get to the point where it was a contest to see who could survive the most punches. It was always near even, but Yang's aura helped tip the scales. Luckily, JoJo had unlocked his own aura, so he could take more hits than he used to.

Yang caught one of Jonathan's punches and twisted his arm, hoping to win the fight early by tap out, but JoJo had other plans. He smirked and allowed her to do so, using Hamon to dull the pain.

"What the-?" Yang asked. JoJo took his chance while she was momentarily shocked. He spun in her grip and freed his arm, making Yang stumble while he got ready.

Hamon sparked across Jonathan's fists, brightening the worried look on Yang's face as her irises grew small.

"Oh no not again—" She cursed.

"Sunlight Yellow Overdrive!" He shouted, then delivered a barrage of punches to Yang's torso. She could feel her aura threatening to break with each punch, but the final one is what really did it. Jonathan reared back and grinned, "Zoom Punch!" He shouted, delivering a powerful uppercut to her chin and sending her several feet into the air, farther than he would with a normal punch. Yang's aura visibly shattered and dissipated, then Jonathan caught her out of the air before she could hit the ground.

"I win." Jonathan smirked down at her as he carried her towards the house.

"You used Hamon, cheater." She sighed as JoJo went up the steps with her being carried princess-style.

"You used your semblance before I used my Hamon." He told her as he opened the door and stepped inside.

"Yeah, yeah." She admitted. When they fully entered the house, JoJo found everyone except for Oscar and Qrow in the living room. The others were trying to act casual as if they hadn't been watching them. JoJo smirked then looked down at Yang, "I'll take you to a room you can sleep in." Then walked towards the bedrooms. As soon as they entered the room, Jonathan gently lay Yang down on the empty bed then sat on the edge of it.

"Good to have you back, Yang." He patted her shoulder and stood to leave, but she caught his hand. Jonathan looked down at her to meet her lilac eyes with his blue ones.

"Stay with me?" She asked. Jonathan gave a small smile, then scanned the room and found a cushioned chair in the corner of the room. JoJo nodded and walked across the room to sit in said chair. He got as comfortable as he could in such an awkwardly designed chair and folded his hands across his chest, leaning back as best as he could.

"That's not entirely what I meant, but you do you." Yang snickered.

"Oh, I know what you meant, and your uncle would kill me." Jonathan said with his eyes closed.

"You're not wrong." She said and pulled a blanket over her, deciding not to change into night clothes for obvious reasons.

 _ **And here we go, another chapter finally finished. It took much longer than I would've liked to finish this, but it's through. And yeah I know, Yang clearly wants Jonathan now, but can you honestly blame her? Look at em. Oh yeah, Pillar Men. Good idea? Bad idea? We'll have to see. Still dunno how I want the thing with Pillar Men to go down, cause after all, Joseph is the one who's supposed to fight them. You're also probably wondering about when Qrow was searching for huntsmen and he rattled off the names of a few future characters. Figured 'why not'. Not sure if I'm gonna turn that into something bigger or just leave it as it is. Feel free to comment on it. Also, same scene, for those of you who thought the whole "Peter Johnson" sounded familiar and couldn't quite remember, it's a reference to how Dionysus would forget Percy Jackson's name and call him something that sounded similar. I really need to throw in more references from other franchises so this story is a bit more enjoyable. IF THERE'S SOMETHING JOJO OR RWBY RELATED THAT YOU'D LIKE ME TO REFERENCE OR MENTION, LEMME KNOW, 'KAY? I need ideas to add.**_

 _ **Should I bring back the combination of Joseph Joestar and Dante personified, my OC Sera, yes or no? Cause I've been trying to think of ways I could, but I dunno if anyone wants to read that.**_

 _ **As always, thanks for reading and feel free to leave any comments on how you feel regarding this chapter. Criticism is greatly appreciated because it helps me make this more enjoyable.**_


	14. Chapter 14: Traitor's Ambush

Dio Brando was fighting for his life. He figured that since the Stone Mask had been awakened by blood, this 'Pillar Man' would be the same way. Plus, he assumed that, like him, he needed blood to survive. So as soon as he found a human in the nearby village, a young woman who appeared nineteen or twenty years of age, the young vampire used his charm on her, then she _willingly_ went to the ancient cave and allowed Dio to sacrifice her. As soon as Dio drained the young woman of all her blood, the man in the pillar woke up! Dio tried speaking to it, but nothing worked. It seemed as though the Pillar Man, whom he affectionately named Santana prior to waking him, was a dullard. But in no time at all, Santana seemed to figure out the English language, simply by listening to Dio! The vampire was amazed by Santana's intelligence, but amazement soon turned to fear when, after _absorbing_ several of Dio's zombies into him, the Pillar Man turned on Dio, the man who awakened him from such a long slumber!

Dio tried reasoning with him, but Santana did not seem to have any respect for him at all. The ancient being went so far as to call Dio an insect, infuriating the blonde Englishman. Dio tried fighting him, but nothing seemed to work. His only attack against Santana was his heated eye fluids that could be fired from meters away. Dio knew that if he got too close to this man, he'd absorb him just like the zombies.

" _This is ridiculous! Me, Dio Brando, forced to go on the retreat from a creature such as this! But…It's my only chance. I have a feeling the only thing this thing is weak to is the sun, like me, if those carving on the wall meant anything. Or perhaps JoJo's cursed Hamon could do the trick, but he's nowhere to be found ever since that night in Windknight's Lot. As if I'd ask him for assistance anyway! I don't need that bastard's help for this!"_ Dio cursed to himself, then turned around to fire another eye laser in Santana's direction. The Pillar Man did not even attempt to dodge it, he took it directly in the chest and continued running as if it never happened.

" _Damn it!"_ Dio cursed and continued running. He leapt over a creek and caught the sight of the horizon slowly but surely lighting up. _"Sunrise! Perhaps I can trap him in the Sun's rays and kill the freak! But how? Surely, he knows the dangers of sunlight, too."_ The Englishman growled as he ran. _"If I can just get back to that place! That place! I'll be fine if I make it back!"_

The vampire leapt over a fallen log and his eyes widened when he saw a familiar road. _"Yes!"_ As soon as Dio made it to the road, he hung a right and went into the village he'd conquered the previous night. He ran into the center of town and pointed in the direction that Santana would be coming from. "Zombies, seize that man and don't let him go!"

Dozens of zombies streamed out of the houses, their mutilated bodies and decomposing faces making Dio cringe. He hated the zombies, but they served him completely and didn't come with all the complications that humans do.

Santana was in eyesight now, sprinting towards the small village in only his ancient loincloth. "Now, my zombies! Hold him in place until the sun rises!" Dio commanded and turned his head enough to see that sunlight was streaming over the horizon, getting closer and closer with each passing second. The Englishman quickly ducked inside the house he'd been hiding from the sunlight in for the past two days. It was also the house where he kept the only surviving members of this town for Dio to use as food.

Dio hid by the window so that sunlight wouldn't come into contact with him and peeked out it. The zombies were so far rather successful with their assignment. Two dozen of them jumped on Santana and were holding him still, but the zombies' numbers began to decrease. He must've been absorbing them to get free. However, it was too late already. Warm sunlight washed over the many bodies, and all of them instantly disintegrated until…

Dio's eyes widened in alarm, "That's not possible…!" He exclaimed and tightened his fists. Where the zombies had piled up on Santana was nothing but the stone form of the Pillar Man himself. "He… He can turn himself to stone at will to protect himself from the sunlight! Damn it! Now all he has to do is wait for nightfall and he'll give chase again! Unless…" Dio turned to the three surviving humans from the village.

"You three! If you do these tasks for me, I'll allow you to live!" He told them, and the three men looked at each other and nodded. Two of them looked rather young but the other one appeared to be in his fifties or sixties.

"You swear?" one asked.

"I swear upon my honor as a gentleman! Just get to it!" He was shouting.

"What if we don't believe ya?" Another asked. Dio gritted his teeth. He didn't have time for this. Then again, he had until nightfall.

"Then I get to test out something I've been working on." He sneered, then proceeded to pick three hunks of flesh out of his arm. In no time at all, his arm healed, but the flesh he was holding morphed until he held three needle-like buds in his hand. "I call these flesh buds! They're a part of I, Dio, so you three would have no choice other than obey!" He said, then approached the survivors. They began to instantly whimper in fear as he got nearer. One of the young ones even tried to attack him with a piece of wood. The table leg that the villager had grabbed splintered against Dio's shoulder and broke in two. In response, the vampire growled and stuck his hand into the man's neck, draining his blood in mere seconds.

"I guess the job can be completed by two." He stated aloud, then instantly shoved a flesh bud's needle into each of their foreheads, just below their hairlines. The two villagers screamed in agony, then abruptly passed out. Dio smirked then looked at the remaining flesh bud in his palm, tossing it behind him and into the sunlight the flooded in through the window. "Now, I wait." He said to himself, then sat down in an old wooden chair.

An hour later, the two villagers turned slaves were tying ropes and chains around Santana's stone body and fastening him to the top of a horse-drawn carriage. Before they set out to take care of their assignment, the two men returned to the house Dio Brando hid within.

"Remember, you are to follow the sunlight _constantly_ so that Santana can never have the opportunity to escape. That means no riding in the shade, and no breaks during the day, not even to piss! The Pillar Man has to stay trapped. I know there has to be a volcano somewhere in one of these countries, so dump him in one if you can!" Dio ordered them.

"Yes, Lord Dio." They both answered with a bow.

"Now, off with you!" he told them, then his new slaves scurried out of the house to follow out their task. Dio sighed and ran his hand through his blond hair. One of the things Santana said to him still bothered the vampire.

" _What are you, some sort of invincible being?!"_ Dio had shouted at the Pillar Man after he fired several eye lasers at him.

" _Nothing I am capable even comes close to what my companions can do."_ Santana told him and continued marching towards the inferior vampire.

" _Your companions? There are more of you, monster?!"_ Dio demanded.

The Pillar Man smirked then. _"They are more than you are capable of comprehending. And after I finish you off, you lowly vampire, I'll rejoin them in Rome!"_

Dio bared his fangs and threw the chair he was sitting in against a wall, "Damn it! What am I to do against such a threat? I'll have to cross the ocean again and find these other Pillar Men before they throw them to the bottom of the ocean! I won't foolishly awaken them like I did Santana. This is priority number one! Nothing is to stand in my way in my mission of conquest!" He thought aloud.

. . .

Jonathan's eyes shot open. He picked his head up and checked his environment to see that he was still in the bedroom Yang slept in, except Yang wasn't there. Jonathan stood and stretched his arms outward. _"That's the last time I stay in here. This chair is unbelievably unbearable to sleep in!"_ He thought to himself and massaged his stiff neck.

JoJo then exited the bedroom and looked to see that none of team RWBY nor JNPR were in the living area. He deduced that they were either asleep or outside. Giving a small shrug, Jonathan retrieved a change of clothes and some toiletries, then headed into the bathroom for a shower.

Ten minutes later…

Jonathan dried himself off and wrapped a towel around his waist as he looked in the foggy mirror. After wiping the steam off, he inspected his face, and didn't entirely like what he saw.

JoJo looked older than he did a few months ago. His eyes didn't have the exact light they used to, and his poorly maintained face and head didn't help. So, after a minute of digging around in the drawers and cabinets, he found what he was searching for. He flipped the switch on the electric razor and raised it to his face.

Fifteen minutes later…

Ruby and the others were sitting in the living area of the house, eating breakfast and conversating with each other. JNPR had left the house early in the morning so Ren could collect all the ingredients he'd need to make a big pancake meal for he and his friends to enjoy while RWBY talked out their own personal issues in the back yard regarding a certain Faunus.

"So then I told the guy, 'Hey, you wanna throw down, we'll throw down, but I'll win because you're friggin' ten-ply, bud." Jaune said, then laughed. Everyone else just stared at what he'd just said, as it made no sense to any of them.

"…What?" Ruby asked. When Jaune realized no one was laughing with him, his laugh came to an awkward halt. "Y'know…I was basically calling him soft and weak, because two-ply toilet paper is already pretty soft, so ten-ply would be like, unrealistically soft." Jaune explained. Yang swears she could hear cricket noises. "Guys?" Jaune asked. Luckily, the blond knight's bad joke was saved when a certain Englishman stepped into the room.

Everyone gasped as soon as they saw Jonathan.

"Hello, everyone!" Jonathan raised a hand. He looked exactly like he used to when he first entered Beacon. His face was clean shaven, his hair was trimmed to the length it used to be, and he was even wearing his trademark blue sleeveless shirt, gray trousers, fingerless gloves, and brown boots. His leather pack was even on his back.

"You look vintage!" Nora commented. JoJo smiled warmly and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand.

"I was tired of seeing how I ended up looking. A gentleman never lets his hair grow unkempt or his beard untrimmed." He said to his friends.

"Now this takes me back. He's even spouting gentleman nonsense like he used to." Weiss added.

"Aren't you an heiress or something?" Ruby retorted.

"No, actually." Weiss smirked. JoJo smiled at the back and forth between the two. But his attention suddenly went to Yang as she approached him and inspected his face.

"Eh, the beard was starting to grow on me." She shrugged.

JoJo smirked down at her, "I liked you more when you had a hundred percent of your body." He crossed his arms, then Yang rolled her eyes and punched his shoulder. "So you like my body, eh?"

"Only when that mouth isn't moving." Jonathan told her and walked past the brawler, sitting next to Weiss on the couch.

Yang smirked, "Oh, you're so dead."

"I'll take my chances." JoJo shrugged.

"What's gotten into you lately?" Jaune asked the Joestar.

"I dunno, honestly. Guess I'm just in a better mood than I have been for the past few months." JoJo replied with a smile.

Then two other people stepped into the living area.

"Guys," Qrow said, then all eyes turned to him. "We're going back to Haven tomorrow night."

"What? Why?" Ren asked.

"Word from Leo. Says he's had a major breakthrough with the council, and that he can probably get a team together to raid my sister's camp."

Jonathan's eyes narrowed, "That sounds very different from the last time we saw him."

"You got that right- Whoa!" Qrow exclaimed when he turned his eyes to JoJo. "You look…vintage."

"That's what I said!" Nora put in.

"Good to see you back to your old self, Jonathan." Ozpin nodded at him.

" _Well, not entirely my old self."_ JoJo thought to himself.

"Anyways, should we be concerned? If that's true, then could we be walking into a trap?" Jaune asked.

"This kid asks the real questions." Qrow said to Ozpin. "Yeah Jaune, we could be. But we won't know until we find out, so my advice is this: get ready for a fight."

"Indeed. Anything could be thrown at us tomorrow evening, so it's best we prepare in every way we can." Ozpin added, gaining a nod from everyone present.

. . .

The broken moon hung in the night sky, each piece of chalky floating rock glowing brightly. Jonathan and the others walked calmly across the campus of Haven Academy, none of them saying a single word. Qrow led in the front with Oscar in the rear.

Jonathan's eyes constantly scanned their surrounding for any sign of an attack. He felt bare in the cool night breeze. His face chilled from lack of his now shaved beard and he resisted the urge to rub his arms for warmth, since he had made the decision to leave his overcoat behind. He settled for subtly sending Hamon through his limbs to warm himself with the self-generated sunlight.

"I don't like this," Yang murmured beside him.

"Me either," JoJo glanced over at the brawler. "I haven't felt like this since Baron Zeppeli, Speedwagon, and I entered the small town of Windknight's Lot."

Yang nodded in understanding. Jonathan felt better now that they knew who he was. He didn't have to lie about his past anymore. He was afraid that his new friends would reject him, but they'd looked past that and accepted him.

The images of rancid zombie faces flashed through his mind, sending a chill down the Joestar's spine. He hated zombies. Especially that gorgon-like one—Doobie. The snake-headed undead sent venom into JoJo's bloodstream, but luckily, he was able to expel it by simply flexing the muscles in his neck.

He kind of missed those days. At least then, he was in his own world. But now he had two worlds to fight for, to defend.

Qrow pushed open the large double doors to Haven. The group of huntsmen and huntresses entered a large room of stone and wood. Balconies at least four stories up encircled the walls. A statue of a woman with both arms raised above her head stood as the focal point of the inside. She held a large disk above her, and golden chains hung from her wrists. Above it was a platform, and standing there was none other than Leonardo Lionheart.

"Why hello," he greeted them. But his tone seemed off. His face held a mask of subtle nervousness. "Thank you for… coming."

Qrow and the others stood at the base of the statue, looking up at Leo.

"There… seems to be more of you than last time…" He looked at Yang and Weiss.

"Well, you know what they say, the more the merrier," Qrow gestured with his arms. Jonathan's eyes narrowed at the headmaster. It was extremely subtle, but a bead of sweat was trailing down the side of Leo's face. His lion tail swished nervously.

"Why…do you have your weapons?" the headmaster asked.

"What? We're huntsmen. Of course we have our weapons," Qrow raised an eyebrow.

"Are you okay?" Qrow asked.

Jonathan stared hard at the headmaster's face. As he answered.

"Of course! Of course. I just haven't had my evening coffee," Leo chuckled nervously.

Yang grabbed JoJo's arm tightly. She gestured upwards with her chin, and Jonathan glanced up. A raven as black as midnight perched on the second-floor railing. Its beady red eyes seemed to stare right at them.

"Mom?" Yang asked. Qrow flinched and looked where Yang and JoJo were staring. Within a millisecond of seeing the raven, Qrow pulled Harbinger from his back and fired a round at the bird.

The raven cawed and took flight, turning into a short woman as soon as it reached the platform where Leo stood. Jonathan instantly recognized her as the woman that had saved Yang on the train under Mount Glenn. She'd appeared out of nowhere and scared off the mute girl that they were fighting, then disappeared through a red portal.

"Raven…" Ruby muttered.

"They… They really _are_ magic…" Nora said in awe.

Raven removed the white Grimm mask, revealing the face of a pretty woman with red eyes. Her black hair flowed down in a similar style as Yang's, but her the look in her eyes are what betrayed her face.

Jonathan flashed back to every time he'd seen Yang angry. He could see the family resemblance easily. Raven had everything that JoJo found distasteful about Yang when they'd first met, and none of the qualities that he'd come to appreciate.

"If you're going to shoot me, shoot me. That was insulting," she said pointedly at Qrow.

"What are you doing here?!" Qrow growled. Even Jonathan was surprised by the venom in his voice.

Raven turned and began to descend the stairs that led down from Leo's platform. "I could ask you the same thing. You've been scheming, little brother. Planning to attack your own sister."

Qrow held his sword tighter and glared up at Leonardo. "Leo, what have you _done?!"_

The headmaster flinched. "I…"

Raven interjected, "Leo did what any sane person would do in his position—he looked at all the information he had in front of him, assessed the situation, and made a choice. And it seems you all have too."

Yang glared at her mother and raised her fists. Jonathan gripped the hilt of Rose's Thorn, ready to unsheathe at a moment's notice.

"You have the Spring Maiden," Qrow stated.

"I do," Raven replied.

"Then bring her out and let's work together. Stop this madness, please." Jonathan told her.

Raven turned her eyes to the Joestar, seeming to notice him for the first time. That made him a little mad.

"All that time colluding with Ozpin, and none of you still have any idea what you're dealing with. You _can't_ beat Salem. The best you can do is hide or do what she says and _hope_ she doesn't kill you anyway."

"You're wrong," Ruby told her. "We've done things that other people would call impossible, and I know that the only reason we were able to do it is because we didn't do it alone! We had people to help us, to teach us. Let's work with each other, and I know we can do it," Ruby stretched a hand out to Raven.

The woman regarded her coldly. "You sound just like your mother."

Then before anyone could stop her, Raven drew her sword and slashed a portal out of nothingness. Immediately, a blast of fire flew out of it and collided with Ruby, sending her flying back from the force.

"Ruby!" Yang ran to help her.

Jonathan clenched his jaw and turned his head back to Raven, only to see Cinder Fall stepping out of the portal.

Her hair was cut short and her left eye was scarred with a black eyepatch-like piece of metal over it.

"Hello, boys and girls," she leered, flames dancing between her fingers. More people emerged from the red portal. Emerald Sustrai, Mercury Black, and a woman with short hair and blue eyes.

The huntsmen glared at the newcomers. If the tension was any thicker, Jonathan could send Hamon into it.

"C'mon guys, is that any way to greet your old friends?" Mercury asked with a sly smirk.

Jonathan raised his clenched fists, Hamon sparking across his knuckles.

"Everyone, stay calm," Qrow urged. Then the large double doors behind them creaked open. They turned to see a tall man that was somehow even larger than Jonathan. He reminded JoJo of Black Knight Tarkus, but slightly shorter.

Giant man closed the doors behind him with a boom. "The White Fang are prepping demolition and securing the school grounds. No one's getting in," he turned to face them. His hazel-colored eyes gleamed in the light. "and no one's getting out."

"He's bigger than you, JoJo," Nora murmured.

"Guy's arms are like trees…" Jaune added.

"And he's what, like eight feet tall?" Weiss asked.

"You should've seen Tarkus," Jonathan muttered.

The big guy was halfway to them now, his giant fists swinging at his sides.

"This was all just a trap?" Weiss asked.

"It appears so…" Ren clenched his jaw.

"Raven, tell me… How long have you been with them?" Qrow asked.

"Aww, don't take it personally, little bird. Your sister was a recent addition. The lion, on the other hand… Entrance into the Vytal Festival was a real treat. But Leo's been sending Salem all sorts of information for a very, _very_ long time. Isn't that right, Professor?"

"Stop it…" Leonardo said with a pained expression.

Qrow seethed, his eyes glaring at the headmaster. "It was you. You sit on the Mistral Council you had information on every huntsman and huntress in the region."

JoJo's eyes widened in realization and he stared at Qrow. All the people the huntsman searched for… He had found none of them. And now Qrow knew why, and he was angry.

Qrow stepped forward. "I couldn't find any of them. All because _you_ let her kill them."

The look on Leonardo's face almost made Jonathan feel sorry for the old headmaster. But this man didn't deserve their sympathy, no matter how gentle-natured and kind-hearted the Joestar was.

"I…" Leo trailed off.

"You what?" Jonathan demanded, waving his arm in front of his body in a sort of slashing motion. "You didn't have a choice? They would've killed you? That is no excuse, Leonardo Lionheart. I have friends who fought until the very end, no matter the danger they faced. They were brave and courageous right till their ends, but you…" JoJo trailed off, the yellow aura of Hamon enveloping his muscled body. The Joestar glared the man in the eyes so intensely that Leo flinched. "You're just a cowardly lion."

Leonardo's gaze lowered and his tail hung limply. He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out.

"Don't beat yourself up too bad about it, Lionheart," Cinder said. "We would've found them eventually."

"What is _wrong_ with you?" Jaune growled. JoJo turned to see him seething with rage, his head hung low and his fists clenched. "How can you be so broken inside? To take so many lives and come here to rub it in our faces like it's something to be proud of?!"

Jonathan's expression softened. He would've tried to comfort the knight, but that would show weakness to their enemies.

"Jaune, I know how you're feeling, believe me. I've lost, too. But—" JoJo said in a reassuring tone.

"All with that fucking smile on your face!" Jaune ignored the Joestar and glared at Cinder. Ruby and the others immediately readied their weapons, save for Qrow. They more or less felt exactly how Jaune did. Pyrrha was their best friend, and the woman they were facing was the one who killed her. Jonathan knew exactly how they felt, because he went through the same thing when he faced off against Dio again. Only then, Jonathan had lost his father, his home, and his mentor, William Zeppeli. But Jonathan decided not to mention that.

"Everybody, stay calm!" Qrow ordered. Cinder and those with her didn't move. The Fall Maiden regarded Jaune with cold eyes, or eye, like a cat that's not sure what to make of something that fell in front of them.

"I'm gonna make you pay for what you did!" Jaune promised with tears streaming from his eyes. "Do you hear me?!"

Everything was silent for exactly six heartbeats.

"Who are you again?" Cinder asked. Jaune's expression faltered, then turned to one of pure anger. With a shout, his sword expanded with its shield/holster on it, becoming a heavy two-handed weapon.

Jaune rushed Cinder.

"Jaune, stop!" Jonathan reached towards him. He didn't listen. The knight swung his sword, and with a cold smirk, Cinder parried the strike with one of her glass cutlasses that she could form from nothing.

Nobody moved. You could probably hear a pen drop in the silence. Then, Ruby cried Jaune's name and ran to his aid with Crescent Rose in hand. She used the weapon's recoil to propel herself upwards, but a thin chain wrapped around her torso and pulled Ruby to the floor.

"You're not getting anywhere near her," Emerald smirked down at Ruby. That made Jonathan's eye twitch. Everything that Cinder put them through, and her little fangirl has the _audacity_ to do something like that. It wouldn't have been as bad if Emerald had just kept her mouth shut, but she didn't.

Cinder freed her and Jaune's swords from the power struggle they were having and went on the attack. Yang ran forward to try and help, but Mercury was in her way.

"Take out the heiress," Raven said to Vernal. "Don't bother wasting your power, she's not worth it." Then the bandit leader drew her sword to intercept Qrow's Harbinger. Jonathan couldn't hear exactly what they were saying, but he figured it wasn't about them putting their differences aside and working together. Once they went off to fight their own battle, jumping and flipping around the room, Weiss was confronted by the Spring Maiden.

Jonathan could see Nora and Ren facing off against the big guy, Hazel, and Oscar sneaking around to ascend the stairs to Lionheart, but he hadn't figured out where he was needed yet. Everyone was fending their opponents off fairly well. He'd been worried about Jaune, but he and Cinder seem to be evenly matched, for now. But if she went all out with her powers…

JoJo whipped around towards the Fall Maiden, drew Rose's Thorn, then charged.

Weiss cried out in pain just before he reached them, but he didn't have time to look. Cinder had just put Jaune on his back and was pointing a sword made of flames at his chest.

Now, Jonathan didn't know too many insults, being raised as a gentleman in a noble family, but when he yelled, "Hey! Look at me, you knobby harlot!" That got her attention.

Cinder turned at the last second to see a sword flying at her face. Rose's Thorn collided with her aura and sent the woman flying into the nearest wall. Without wasting a breath, JoJo held his hand out towards Jaune. The young knight took it and Jonathan hauled him to his feet.

"Thanks, JoJo," Jaune told him, anger still clear in his voice.

Jonathan sheathed his sword and put a hand on his shoulder. "I know it hurts, Jaune. But don't let your anger get in the way of everything else. Pyrrha's gone, as much as it pains all of us, but we—you have to keep going. There's still people who need you to protect them," he told him softly and gestured to their friends around them.

Jaune looked like he wanted to either argue or get sad, but they had more pressing matters. Cinder blasted a wall of fire towards them, and the two were forced to throw their bodies to the side to avoid the flame.

" _Protect them?"_ Cinder's voice seethed. "Now _that's_ funny! If you couldn't protect your little girlfriend, what makes you think you can protect all of _them_ from me?"

Jonathan grit his teeth and steadied his breathing. A warm glow enveloped his limbs as Hamon flowed through his body. "Because this is the day that we end your tyranny, Cinder." The Joestar then widened his stance and raised a hand in front of his face, his fingers spread apart. "By the end of this day, you _will_ fall."

Cinder smiled, but Jonathan didn't falter. He stared her down, his blue eyes gleaming with a mix of determination and fury.

"JoJo wait, maybe you shouldn't—"

Cinder's eye blazed with orange fire as her face turned from a creepy smile into a sneer. She charged him with the speed and force of a bullet train. Or she would have.

Ruby turned just in time to see Cinder flying towards JoJo with a blazing inferno blasting from her hands to propel herself forward. She saw Jonathan standing there, his hand raised in front of his face in his signature pose and a look of determination on his face.

A wave of panic seized her entire being as images of Pyrrha's death flashed through her mind. Her eyes glowed with a silver light to the point that it blinded everyone in the room as she let loose a scream of pure emotion.

Jonathan winced and covered his eyes as the blinding light enveloped him. When the light died down, he lowered his arms to see Cinder on the ground clutching her arm, her flames gone.

When he realized what the source of the silver light was, JoJo turned his head to see Ruby lying on the ground, unconscious.

He didn't realize that Cinder had gotten to her feet until something slammed into his side and knocked him across the room. When Jonathan looked to see where he was, only to find himself hanging from the arms of the large statue. Or rather, he was holding onto its neck.

Jonathan dropped from the statue and landed in a kneeling position. But what he saw next filled his heart with dread. Jaune was laying on the ground, and Cinder was walking towards Weiss, who had her back turned and was still fighting Vernal, with a glass spear that resembled Pyrrha's in her hand.

JoJo got to his feet and sprinted towards them without hesitation. He had to stop Cinder. He promised he wasn't going to let this happen again.

Cinder threw her spear.

"NO!" Jonathan shouted. He was too far away.

The spear impaled Weiss in her lower back, protruding from her gut with a sickening slicing sound. Weiss gasped and fell to her knees, her hands shakily grasping at the shaft.

Everything halted. No one moved. All of their friends' eyes filled with horror while Jaune's brimmed with tears.

Jaune stood and ran to Weiss's side, completely ignoring Cinder.

JoJo stood with his arms hung at his sides. He felt like he did when Dire had been shattered by Dio's freezing powers. Except this time, Weiss wasn't dead yet. He leapt into action.

He started towards Weiss again, hoping to try and use his Hamon to heal her, but a very angry yell made him falter.

"OZPIN!"

Jonathan turned to see Hazel marching towards Oscar and Ruby. He ripped his jacket off and pulled two Dust crystals out of his pockets, then proceeded to shove them into his forearms.

"What is he…?" JoJo blinked. The veins in Hazel's arms turned gold and he let out a yell of pure anger. Even his eyes glowed and sparked with energy.

"Ozpin, you are going to pay! You'll die over, and over again before I'm finished!" he roared.

Oscar nervously leveled Ozpin's cane at Hazel and inched backwards. Hazel charged the poor kid, but luckily, Qrow grabbed Oscar just in time to avoid the giant man.

Jonathan glanced at Weiss. Ren and Nora had joined Jaune at the heiress's side. The Joestar's eyes widened when he saw a green light emanating from Jaune's hands. The light washed over Weiss's torso like sunlight through water. Her breathing stabilized and her skin seemed to glow with life. Almost like… JoJo caught his breath.

Upon realization, the light was not Hamon, but in fact Jaune's newly unlocked semblance.

He would've congratulated him on finally discovering his semblance, but Nora yelled at him before he could.

"Go help the others, we can take care of Weiss!"

Jonathan nodded and turned towards Oscar and Hazel. The large man was furiously trying to land a hit, but Oscar was just too fast. Qrow was there to help as well, but he couldn't seem to do much against this foe.

By time he got within hearing range, Hazel had suddenly halted.

"…did she know the risk of being a huntress?" Oscar asked.

"She was only a child!" Hazel roared. "She wasn't ready!"

"She made a choice!" Oscar shot back. "A choice to put others before herself!" He brandished his cane. "And so do I."

"Then you've chosen death!" Hazel clenched his fists.

"Hazel!" Jonathan shouted as he marched towards the man that towered over even him.

Hazel turned to inspect the newcomer, yellow Dust energy sparking along his arms. In response, Jonathan took a deep breath, and Hamon caused his body to glow with the energy of the sun.

Yeah, Jonathan thought to himself. Two can play at that game.

"Joestar," Hazel stated relatively calmly, unlike how he sounded just moments before.

Jonathan cracked his knuckles and gave a fierce grin. Despite Hazel's size, he was confident he could win. It would be like his fight against Tarkus.

"Pick on someone your own size," JoJo told him, glaring directly into his eyes.

Hazel was silent for a few moments before speaking. "Salem wants you taken prisoner, but I have no wish to fight you, Joestar."

"And I do not want to fight you, but I promised that no more of my friends will perish at the hands of Salem."

"As you wish." Hazel said in that calm manner of his, then charged.

 _ **To be continued…**_

'Kay so first off, apologies for taking so long. Long story short, I simply haven't been able to write for this entire summer. I didn't have access to internet, so I couldn't watch YouTube for reference on dialogue and all that. I wanted to write without all that, but I couldn't remember much from V5 RWBY. That's why I put out so many chapters of my _A Huntress's Amnesia_ story, because I didn't use reference. That's also why that story is probably lacking in the areas where main plot points happened. (Basically, I winged it)

But I'm working on new chapters for this now to make up for lost time. I'll work on it as much as I can when I'm not doing college stuff or playing games or somethin' with my roommates.


	15. Chapter 15: The Final Battle(of Volume5)

"OVERDRIVE!" Jonathan shouted just before his fist connected with Hazel's. A miniature shockwave erupted from the force of their blows, a small gust of wind blowing outwards. Normally, two fighters would continue whaling away at each other after such a hit, but JoJo and Hazel stood with their fists pushing against each other.

The two narrowed their eyes in determination and pushed harder. It was a contest of strength, to see which of these large men would budge first. JoJo intensified his Hamon, sending as much as he could into Hazel, but it didn't seem to affect the large man at all.

"You're big," Jonathan told him, forced to look up to meet Hazel's eyes. "I've fought bigger."

Hazel gritted his teeth and swung with his other fist. On instinct, JoJo ducked under the jab and rammed his elbow into Hazel's unguarded ribs. The larger man didn't even flinch.

"I was expecting more from you after the state you put Tyrian in," Hazel's voice rumbled. A large hand seized Jonathan's arms, then Hazel rammed his head into the Joestar's forehead.

JoJo stumbled back and clutched his head. Luckily, his aura had shielded him, but the sheer force of the blow felt like being punched by any trained boxer. Maybe it had something to do with that Dust he injected? He asked himself.

The thought reminded JoJo of his match against Dio when they were twelve.

A lightbulb went off in the Joestar's head. Well Dio, he thought. Maybe you did teach me something useful.

Before Hazel could land another blow, Jonathan raised his fists in a traditional boxing stance. The Joestar dashed forward to meet Hazel's charge. JoJo took account of his speed, the angle he would attack from, his height, and even their position in the room. All of this raced through his mind in that very moment, and just when the two giants among men got within arms' length, he made his move.

" **Kooooooh!"** Hamon coursed through JoJo's limbs, making his fists glow with life-filled energy. Jonathan sidestepped to avoid another one of Hazel's large fists. He followed through by sending his fist skyward into a powerful uppercut to Hazel's chin.

"Arooaaaaah!" JoJo shouted, sending all of his Hamon through his knuckles and into the larger man before him. Hazel stumbled back and glared at Jonathan. The young Joestar smirked and stood with his arms forward, his wrists crossed and his hands pointing downward.

"My friends and I have come too far to be stopped by Salem and her forces, Hazel," JoJo stated. "I promised I would protect Ruby and the others from meeting the same terrible fate as the former Fall Maiden, Pyrrha Nikos, and all others that died in Vale because of Cinder." Jonathan then changed his stance until his arms were folded and he pointed at Hazel at one hand, his other hand held under his arm. "And if I have to destroy you to keep them safe, then I will."

Hazel tightened his fists until yellow sparks were continually flying away from him. "Bold words, boy. But you should not underestimate Salem _or_ me."

Then the large man rushed Jonathan, bringing both of his fists down to smash his head. But JoJo caught them out of midair! He raised his palms and focused all of his Hamon into his hands to meet the blow.

"I am not a _boy_ , Hazel. And I have fought far worse than you," Jonathan told him.

Hazel gritted his teeth. "We'll see about that."

His fists grew heavier in JoJo's hands, and he strained to keep them at bay. Deciding that it was better to abandon this comparison of strength, JoJo redirected Hazel's fists to go past him, giving JoJo the opportunity to slam his elbows into Hazel's side.

"Rebuff Overdrive!" Jonathan shouted. Hazel groaned, his aura flickering. Jonathan jumped back to get some breathing room, and Hazel's fist managed to catch him in the side before he got out of striking distance. JoJo winced and clutched his side, then Oscar appeared beside him.

"This isn't your fight, JoJo," Ozpin said through Oscar.

Jonathan inspected his side and found yellow Dust energy sparking along his ribcage. His blue sleeveless shirt was in tatters on his entire left side, presumably from the Dust.

JoJo tightened his jaw and ripped the cloth away from his body. "It became my fight when he attacked my friends."

Ozpin looked like he wanted to argue, but he just nodded and turned his attention to Hazel.

"Ozpin!" Hazel yelled once he saw Oscar standing next to JoJo.

"Shall we, Professor?" JoJo asked.

"We shall, JoJo," Ozpin nodded. Jonathan raised his fists, sparking and glowing with Hamon, and together, they charged.

. . .

"So, then, this is Rome," Dio Brando took in the sight of the wide expanse of low buildings and greenery from the top of the Colosseum. Around the circumference of the city, a ring of mountains served as a natural wall to protect against invaders. Rome had its high points and low points—literally, the entire city was built on hills on a mountain range. Dio had always wanted to visit the heart of the old Roman empire. The title "Emperor" really spoke to the vampire on a spiritual level.

He'd intentionally left Italy alone when sending his zombie forces across Europe. Dio wanted to take this city himself. But tonight, he had another goal in mind—destroying these "Pillar Men" before they awaken.

"Santana was a fool," Dio thought aloud. "Giving away his comrades' location like that? Ha, the idiot knows not what he's done. Now, these Pillar Men will face I, Dio, as soon as they wake!" He laughed into the night. in all reality, he was trying to hype himself up. He knows just how powerful Santana was, and if his allies are much stronger just like he said, it would take a lot to take them down.

Dio bit his lip so hard that it bled—mostly because his fangs were _really_ sharp. If my intel is good, he thought to himself. "Those Pillar Men are three or four blocks from here.

With that, Dio leaped from the top of the ancient Colosseum and dove to the ground several stories below. He landed nimbly and strolled north. Fifteen minutes later, he was standing in front of an ancient stone building that appeared to go underground—which was perfect for Dio because if the sun rose, he'd be protected from its rays. But that also meant that the Pillar Men would be as well.

"Higher beings," Dio mocked. "They have yet to meet the might of Dio."

. . .

"Scarlet Overdrive!" Jonathan shouted as he delivered another Hamon-filled blow to Hazel. The larger man groaned, but he continued his attack. Hazel's massive fist slammed into JoJo's chest and sent him backwards.

"This is getting tiresome," Hazel said.

"Agreed," JoJo said and looked at Ozpin. The former headmaster looked rather winded, likely from not being used to his new form. He'd been jumping and flipping around Hazel, jabbing him with his cane with such speed and precision that Jonathan wondered if it was humanly possible.

"So, I'm going to end this right now," JoJo raised his arms in front of him, his fingers spread and his palms facing Hazel.

"We'll see if you can back your words up," Hazel told him. In response, JoJo began to walk towards the taller man without saying a word.

"And now you're walking directly at me? No ploys to flank or trick me?" Hazel asked.

"I can't beat you into the ground without getting closer," Jonathan replied. Hazel didn't respond then, only staring straight at JoJo and walking to intercept him.

On the way, Jonathan cast his eyes to the side to check on his friends. Ruby and Yang were fighting Emerald and Mercury, Jaune, Nora, and Ren were still at Weiss's side, and Qrow was fighting off Raven and Vernal.

Just hold out, he thought to himself. We can beat them.

As soon as Jonathan was within range of Hazel, he sent his fist flying towards him.

"Zoom Punch!" He shouted, his fist connecting with Hazel's chin.

"How…?" He murmured after clutching his face, one eye peeking between two fingers.

"Rebuff Overdrive!" JoJo immediately followed up by sending his elbows upward and into Hazel's ribcage. Hazel struck back, and the electricity Dust stung, but he continued his assault. He pounded Hazel with so much Hamon, he would've disintegrated Dio and his army of zombies a hundred times over. It amazed Jonathan that Hazel was still standing.

JoJo numbed Hazel's blows with Hamon, but the attacks still felt like being hit by a train.

He gritted his teeth and kept punching, and being punched.

"Jonathan!" Ozpin shouted. JoJo turned his head to see him pointing towards the statue, except that it's now an entrance leading down. Cinder, Raven, and Vernal were going into it.

JoJo turned back to Hazel just in time to avoid a punch aimed at his face.

"It's time to end this," Hazel growled.

"Indeed it is," Jonathan replied, his arms glowing significantly brighter. He focuses all of his Hamon into his fists. "This burning determination," he said aloud. "My beating heart!"

Hazel raised an eyebrow, probably wondering what in the world JoJo was talking about.

" **Kooooooh! Sunlight Yellow OVERDRIVE!"** Jonathan punched Hazel so hard and fast, his fists were only visible as a rapid flurry.

"Arrrooooooaaggghh!" JoJo shouted. Hazel's aura flickered and his body recoiled with every burning punch that was delivered to him. With one final blow, the man's large body was sent flying away from him until he crashed through a wooden pillar.

JoJo exhaled, the glow of Hamon faded from his body. He looked just in time to see the tail of Cinder's dress disappear into the entranceway.

Jonathan took off across the room, his bound covering two meters with every step. Mercury stepped in the Joestar's way to intercept him, but JoJo simply shoved him out of the way and kept running without breaking stride.

"Stop hi-!" Emerald shouted, but Ruby slammed her in the side with both feet and sent the dark-skinned girl several meters away.

"Go get them, JoJo! Stop Cinder!" She shouted. Jonathan gave a steely, determined nod, then descended the stone stairway.

I'm going to finish this fight, Jonathan thought to himself as he delved into the darkness.

. . .

"So, these are the beings that wield power even greater than I, Dio? The creators of the Stone Mask?" Dio Brando asked himself as he inspected the stone wall before him. Three extremely muscled men were carved into the wall. One wore a capped headpiece and had fluffy white hair, another wore a headpiece with wiry strands hanging from it, and the last one wore a black wrapping around his head that covered his hair completely.

The one with the wrapping held a red jewel in between his index finger and thumb. Dio stepped closer to the wall, his face nearing the jewel.

"Don't you dare touch that, Dio," a strangely familiar voice said from behind him. Dio casually turned around with a smirk on his vampiric lips.

"Ah, there you are. I was wondering where you went off to." Dio's eyes fell on the muscular form of Robert E. O. Speedwagon.

"I've been researching the best way to defeat you, Dio. I've scoured the world while you were busy conquering it," Speedwagon told him. He wore the same attire as when he and Jonathan stormed Dio's tower. Baron Zeppeli's hat sat crooked on his blond hair.

"Oh? And what do you have to show for it, human? A parlor trick like JoJo's Hamon?" Dio smirked.

A smile tugged at Speedwagon's lips. "You've no idea."

"Well then, human, is it powerful enough for the might of Dio?!" The vampire shouted, shooting super-heated blasts of fluid from his eyes towards Speedwagon. But just before they reached the former gangster, both beams of energy deflected off of some invisible force and shot into the ceiling.

"What?!" Dio exclaimed. His eye-fluid beams could cut through just about anything, but they changed course away from Speedwagon and missed him completely!

"How, you ask?" Speedwagon slid his fingers along the brim of his hat. "When I was in Egypt, I discovered this strange _**⌞Arrow⌝."**_ Speedwagon pulled a golden arrow from his jacket, holding the shaft tightly in one fist. "When I picked it up, the point stabbed into me, almost like it was magnetically attracted! When I awoke, this strange power was now part of me. So!" Speedwagon pointed at Dio. "I say unto you, Dio Brando! Witness the power of my Stand, Music Man!"

What? Dio thought. Magic arrows that grant power? Could it be an object like the Stone Mask? What is this human talking about?

"Hey! What're you two doing here? This is a restricted area!" a new voice shouted. A man in what Dio assumed was Rome's police uniform was approaching them.

Dio gave a sinister smile that sent a chill down Speedwagon's spine, then turned to face their new guest.

With inhuman speed, Dio lunged forward and grabbed the human's throat.

"Put him down, Dio!" Speedwagon shouted. Dio held the officer like a hostage, his fingers inserted into the human's neck as if he were about to drain him.

"Or what, Speedwagon? I'm holding this human's carotid artery. One move, and I'll slice him open to drain out on the floor."

"You lowly scum!" Speedwagon clenched his fists. Dio didn't know what exactly Speedwagon's "ability" could do, but he was betting that Robert wouldn't make a move if he had a hostage.

Dio thought wrong. Suddenly, something powerful struck his side, and he and the Italian man were thrown sideways. Dio regained his balance easily, but the man slammed into the wall next to them. The same wall that held the Pillar Men.

"And what did that do, Speedwagon? You've injured the very man you were trying to save!" Dio laughed.

"H-help me!" the Italian pleaded.

"Silence, human," Dio hissed.

Speedwagon's eyes went wide. "Get him away from that wall _right now!"_

"You dare address me in such a way-?" Dio roared.

"Dio, you piece of rubbish, look! Get him away from the wall!" Speedwagon shouted. Out of curiosity, Dio looked at the wall, and what he saw was not pleasant.

The Italian man was being absorbed into the wall, much like how Santana would absorb his "food" into him.

"WHAT?!" Dio exclaimed. But it was too late. Risking being attacked by Dio, Speedwagon dashed forward to grab the Italian's arm. The man had already head had already been absorbed, and when Speedwagon tried to yank him out of the wall, all he did was pull his severed arm free.

"Bollocks!" Speedwagon slammed his fist into the ground. Immediately, a deep rumbling emanated from the stone wall. The man in the middle, the one with the wiry strands hanging from his head, gained color and texture to his skin until he looked human.

"This isn't good. This isn't good at all," Speedwagon backed away.

"Nonsense. I'll make them obey me, just like I did with all those back in England. Even Jack the Ripper himself couldn't resist bowing down to I, Dio."

"You daft vampire," Speedwagon muttered.

Dio laughed as the Pillar man broke himself free from the wall and fell onto one knee. When he met Dio's gaze, the vampire resisted the urge to shudder. The light behind this Pillar Man's eyes… it held thousands of years of experience, age, knowledge, and an uncanny intelligence. He also saw something that he'd only seen in Jonathan Joestar—undying loyalty and honor beyond that of any normal man.

"So," the Pillar Man's deep voice rumbled like a landslide. "The time has come to return to the human world."

"You, Pillar Man!" Dio addressed the nearly nude man before him. He wore some sort of leather harness and a loincloth, leaving about ninety-five percent of his body bare. "I, Dio, have awakened you from your ancient slumber. I've defeated your ally, Santana, so know that I am capable of harming you. In return for my kindness, you and your allies will swear your loyalty to me."

The Pillar Man tilted his head as if an insect had just entered his field of view. "You are a vampire." He then rose to his full height, towering over Dio by roughly three inches. "I will do no such thing." Then he raised his arms. "Wamuu!" The Pillar Man announced, then touched each of his index fingers to the other Pillar Men's foreheads. "Awaken, my masters!"

The two remaining Pillar Men immediately broke from the wall, their skin becoming a light brown and their eyes filling with life.

Dio resisted taking a step back. Speedwagon was trembling where he stood. The two Pillar Men rose to their full heights and faced their comrade. The one who woke them knelt respectively.

"Lord Kars and Esidisi," the first one spoke.

"Wamuu, why have we awakened from our slumber?" the lightest colored one, the one wearing the black head wrapping, spoke in a cool and relaxed voice.

"It was I who awoke you," Dio spoke. Kars and Esidisi turned their heads to Dio as if noticing he and Speedwagon for the first time.

"Is this true, Wamuu? A vampire has woken us?" the other one, Esidisi, asked.

"Yes, Lord Esidisi. Though I am not sure why. He says he has defeated Santana." Wamuu replied.

Kars laughed. "A vampire killing one of us in combat? Unlikely."

Dio gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. How dare they question his might? "I am Dio Brando, killer of Santana and rightful ruler of the Earth. Who are you, Pillar Men?"

"'Pillar Men' you say? My, that's an interesting title. I am Kars, inventor of the Mask you surely used to turn yourself into a vampire. These are my comrades, Esidisi and Wamuu." Kars said coolly.

"You will submit to me," Dio ordered. The Pillar Men regarded him with cold gazes for a few moments, then each of them chuckled.

"Submit to a vampire? Preposterous," Esidisi said.

"That is what I told him. He ordered me to submit in exchange for him awakening us." Wamuu chuckled.

"You're a brave one, aren't you? Or perhaps," Kars ejected his bone blade from his forearm, a bright light shining from it and lighting up the room. "You do not know your place."

Dio glared at them, his chest heaving from anger. Speedwagon only stared in shocked silence at the interaction. After battling against Dio and his zombies in the past, he was deathly afraid of the vampire, but he could tell that these Pillar Men were far, far worse than Dio. But given Dio's unique personality, this was like watching a single cougar facing down three lions.

Dio did the last thing Speedwagon expected him to do. The blond vampire bent backwards and hooked his arms upward, his sharp nails glistening in the light.

"WRYYYY!" Dio lunged at the Pillar Men.

. . .

"This," Jonathan said aloud. "Is not good."

As soon as he arrived at the bottom of the stairs, JoJo was met by a gigantic cavern. A narrow bridge connected his platform to a second, much larger platform hanging over a black abyss. A giant structure resided atop the large platform, which JoJo assumed was the vault, complete with tall trees with thick orange foliage. No, the leaves were green, but orange lights glowed brightly from the branches. The floor compromised of green grass and a wide stone pathway, with three women standing in front of the vault.

Jonathan hurriedly jogged across the bridge, trying to reach Cinder, Raven, and Vernal.

Cinder was suspiciously walking behind Raven and Vernal, and before Jonathan could call out, Raven was suddenly frozen solid, and Vernal was on the ground with a black, clawed hand plunged into her gut.

"CINDER!" Jonathan shouted with a commanding tone to his voice. The Fall Maiden's smirk melted and the fire from her eye extinguished when she saw the shirtless figure of Jonathan Joestar marching towards her, his fists clenched and his body glowing with Hamon.

"Get away from that woman. Right now," Jonathan cracked his knuckles.

Cinder recovered quickly. "Or what, Joestar?" She laughed. "You'll light me up with your Hamon? I think you'll find that I can handle much more than _that."_

Jonathan's face hardened. "We shall see."

Cinder turned back to Vernal, who was beginning to struggle less and less with the clawed, black hand in her abdomen. Even JoJo knew something was off. Before, when Cinder gained the powers of the Fall Maiden, an orange-colored aura was absorbed into her. Now, there was nothing.

It pained Jonathan to watch someone else die, but Vernal ceased all movement, and her glassy eyes stared up at the cave ceiling far above. He wanted to rush Cinder right there for the heinous act, but something held him back. The ice on Raven's frozen form began to crack.

"What?!" Cinder demanded. "Where's the power?"

The ice's cracks grew wider until large pieces fell to the ground.

"She's not the Spring Maiden," JoJo realized. Cinder's eye blazed when she turned to glare at him.

Raven stepped out of the ice that was now in pieces. "I am."

Even when standing behind Raven and out of range of her fire-y, Maiden-y powers, Jonathan could still see the blazing red fire that raged from her eyes.

"Vernal was a fake all along," Cinder commented in a relatively calm tone. "The last Spring Maiden must have trusted you a great deal before she died. I bet that was a mistake."

JoJo saw Raven tense. "Wait!" He reached out, but it was too late. Raven drew her sword and charged, flying across the platform headfirst towards Cinder. A glass sword appeared in the Fall Maiden's hand just in time for Raven's weapon to clash against it.

"Damn it," Jonathan gripped the hilt of Rose's Thorn and pulled it free. "I've got to stop getting in the middle of all these Maiden fights." Then he ran towards the clashing women.

By time he reached them, they flew up against the rocky wall of the vault. Raven seemed to have Cinder on the ropes, judging by the power struggle they were having.

Just when he reached the base of the vault, a memory resurfaced in JoJo's mind. When he, Baron Zeppeli, and Speedwagon were traveling to Windknight's Lot, a hypnotized lad, Poco, had swiped the leather carrying bag that contained all of their money. By time they reached him, Poco was scaling the wall of a short cliff with their bag in tow. And to get him down, Jonathan performed the same feat with Hamon that he was about to repeat now.

Jonathan took in a breath of air, already feeling Hamon warming in his body.

"Overdrive!" He pounded the side of his fist into the wall. Hamon spread through the rocks and up to Cinder and Raven. JoJo could hear his mentor's voice in his head, "A nice sound, JoJo. Your Hamon traveled all the way through."

Cinder exclaimed as the rocks shifted behind her and threw her and Raven away from the wall. Instead of stopping them or possibly knocking them out, as JoJo was hoping would happen, they continued fighting. Like a bullet, they shot to the ground, their swords continuously sparking against each other.

JoJo leaped into action. He was mostly targeting Cinder, but he'd attack Raven if he had to. He swung his sword in a wide arc, slicing into Cinder's side.

"Ah!" she exclaimed, because Raven sent a blast of fire that hit her Grimm arm.

Jonathan took a step back and shouldered his sword.

"Aura won't protect that arm," Raven told her. "You turned yourself into a monster just for power."

JoJo was instantly reminded of his stepbrother Dio. He could still hear the words Dio said on that fateful night in his family's mansion, "I reject my humanity, JoJo!"

He was snapped back to reality when a glass javelin appeared in Cinder's hands. Before she had the chance to use it, JoJo rushed forward and grabbed her black arm.

"You don't deserve to wield this power. But I think I'll take you up on your offer," he told her. Raven only watched with curious eyes as to what this muscled gentleman was talking about.

"What offer?" Cinder's eyes narrowed. Despite the situation, Jonathan grinned. He was happy to give Cinder exactly what she's been deserving ever since that night at Beacon.

"Scarlet Overdrive!" JoJo sent burning red Hamon into her arm. Cinder's eyes widened in horror and her arm steamed from its burning flesh. It surprised Jonathan that her arm hadn't disintegrated right there, but perhaps Cinder was more durable than zombies.

Cinder recoiled and backed away, clutching her arm to her chest.

"You son of a BITCH!" Cinder screamed.

Jonathan held his fist close to his chest, Hamon sparking across his knuckles. "As I said, you do not deserve this power. It was not rightfully yours to begin with, Cinder. You stole the Maiden's power, and now, you'll pay for everything you've done."

"I don't know you," Raven said from behind Jonathan. "But if you're after her, I won't fight you."

JoJo only turned his head and gave a single nod. He didn't necessarily like Raven or what she does or the way she betrayed them, but not fighting her was better than fighting two Maidens at once.

"Neither of you are making it out of here alive," Cinder promised.

"I beg to differ," Jonathan replied. Hefting Rose's Thorn, a small smirk played on his lips. "And my friend here does as well."

Cinder gritted her teeth and disappeared. In the blink of an eye, she was right in front of JoJo. He barely had time to raise his sword and defend himself.

Her glass weapon clashed against Rose's Thorn. The surge of strength from her was almost overwhelming, but Jonathan was able to push her back for enough room to fight effectively.

JoJo used all of the sword fighting skills he was taught in Beacon and by Jaune and Ozpin. Which was to say, he was about as good as Jaune. But his added size and strength really tipped the scales.

He deflected her strikes, parried her jabs, blocked her swipes, but he was still too slow. He was taking so many hits to his aura that he was glad none of his team or friends were watching. But thankfully, it didn't take long for Raven to jump in.

Jonathan and Raven waylaid into Cinder, slashing at the Fall Maiden rapidly. Cinder summoned another sword into her free hand, blocking and parrying their attacks as if her hands acted independently.

She laughed, "Is this the best you have?"

How is she this good? JoJo thought. Can't be something to do with her Maiden powers.

With a determined shout, he kicked her in the side. It immediately got his desired effect. Hamon traveled up her body and down to her Grimm arm. Cinder shrieked and recoiled, shrinking back from JoJo and Raven.

Raven immediately capitalized on the opportunity she was given. She rushed forward and slashed Cinder across the chest. Cinder flew back and tumbled across the ground.

But she was immediately got to her feet and charged again. This time, Raven rushed to intercept her.

It looked like a blue light began to encircle her, and the same for Cinder, except hers was orange. At first, Jonathan thought it was a trick of the light, but then he realized that light was actually flying around them. Then, to top it all off, they began to float into the air.

That's a new one, JoJo thought.

But when the wind and stones began to float around them, that's when he decided to stop this before it escalated even further.

Jonathan hefted his sword and ran. When he got halfway to them, huge, and he means _huge_ swords appeared in their hands. Raven held a giant katana that seemed to be formed out of blue crystal, and Cinder wielded one of searing metal, as if someone had been in the middle of forging it.

Jonathan leaped into the air with the help of his aura at the same time that Raven and Cinder charged each other.

In that moment, just before JoJo got within range to use his sword, he supercharged Rose's Thorn so full of Hamon that the blade was continuously sparking and glowed with life energy.

Just before Cinder and Raven's enormous swords clashed, JoJo stuck his sword in the middle, very similarly to how he did when Dio and Baron Zeppeli were fighting. JoJo had stopped Dio's fist before it could freeze the Baron's other arm. Except this time, he was dealing with magic swords that quite possibly explode.

It was too late to pull back his sword now, and the same went for Raven and Cinder.

As soon as their swords slammed into Rose's Thorn, two things happened. One, the swords did explode, and the three of them were sent flying in different directions. Two, Rose's Thorn also exploded. Literally. The blade broke into a million different pieces and shot in every direction. Thanks to Cinder already beating up on his aura, the shards of the sword peppered against JoJo's chest, and almost instantaneously, his aura failed.

Jonathan grunted when he felt something plunge into his shoulder. The explosion blinded him and made his ears ring, so he could only feel when he hit the ground. His back slammed into the concrete and knocked the wind out of the Joestar.

Immediately, he tried to breathe normally again. It was vital for him to be able to breathe to use Hamon. Then again, it was vital for everyone to breathe, so…

After several seconds, he was able to do his exercised Hamon breaths and send warmth to his chest. He didn't want to close the wound, because he knew that a piece of shrapnel was still in him. Instead, he settled for numbing the wound and stopping any bleeding.

Once the ringing in his ears stopped and his vision was back to normal, JoJo sat up and scanned his surroundings. And it wasn't too good. Chunks of rock were falling from the cave ceiling, the area around him was completely wrecked, and Cinder and Raven were in the air. Again.

Except now, they were on giant chunks of falling rocks.

Then JoJo looked over to what he held in his hand. He thought his sword felt lighter, and now he saw why. The hilt of Rose's Thorn lay in his right hand, the blade broken off several inches from the cross guard.

"Great, another sword gone," Jonathan sighed. He tossed the broken sword to the side and unsteadily got to his feet. He glanced down at the shard of metal protruding from his right shoulder.

It was maybe the size of a Dust crystal, and as thin as wire. JoJo tried to pull it out, but as soon as he touched it, his entire right side lit aflame. Even with his Hamon to dull the pain, it still hurt worse than being shot by Dio's eye fluid.

"Jonathan!" Raven shouted just before something slammed into JoJo's side. The next thing he knew, he was in free fall.

Instinctively, JoJo stuck his hand out and grabbed the only thing he could—a small ledge about the size of a DVD case, just big enough to hold with three fingers.

JoJo looked up and found himself about two meters down the cliff. The bad thing was that he was hanging by his right arm, and it was straining his wound.

Again, he was reminded of the last night he spent in his family home. He had been climbing up to the roof with the point of an iron javelin in his shoulder.

"Had enough?" Raven's voice said from above.

"Shut the hell up," Cinder hissed, then JoJo heard the sounds of swords clashing.

"Damn it…!" Jonathan muttered. He scanned the cliff face for any handholds he could take advantage of.

Yes! He thought. It was about half a meter away, but he could reach it if he jumped.

And he did. He pushed off of what little he could and launched himself upwards. He stuck his hand out to grab the ledge, then slipped! Or he _would_ have, if there were no water droplets on the handhold. With just a bit of Hamon, his hand stuck to the ledge like super glue.

Now, the edge of the cliff was just barely within arm's reach. Then he felt wind blow against his side, and he looked over just in time to see Cinder falling into the abyss.

He had time to think, "Hey, check that out" before she disappeared, slowly turning into a Cinder-cicle from one of Raven's blasts of magic.

JoJo looked up to see Raven peering over the edge at him, her eyes blazing with red flames.

"Hey," she prompted. "Need a hand?"

A few moments later, Jonathan was safely standing back on the platform in front of the giant vault door.

"So," Jonathan broke the silence. "This is the Vault of the Relic of Knowledge?"

"Indeed it is," Raven replied. She gazed up at the tall golden door and took a step forward. The bandit leader pressed her palm against the door. A faint blue light glowed from the bottom and spread upwards, taking the shape of growing vines. The light briefly glowed brighter, and the door began to fold up in what looked like sunflower petals. The "petals" folded up and receded into the sides of the door, and just beyond the threshold was what Jonathan would describe as a mirage. The rolling sand dunes seemed to go on forever, but the ground and air shimmered like a mirage, and fog blanketed sand around the circular clearing.

Several meters through the doorway, a pedestal sat alone in the clearing. Atop it was a golden lantern that glowed with blue light.

Jonathan could have stood there looking into the Vault of the Spring Maiden all day, but sudden movement in front of him caught his eye. Raven was approaching the vault door.

"Hold it," JoJo called out, and Raven halted. "Maiden powers are transferred to the person who was in their thoughts last. The last Spring Maiden must have trusted you a lot to make _you_ the Maiden."

Raven glanced over her shoulder. "And?"

JoJo flexed his injured shoulder. "So, how did she pass, then?"

"What does it matter?" Raven turned to face him. Her face was unreadable to the normal eye, but he recognized the look behind her eyes. The last time he saw it, he threw Dio Brando off of the second floor in his house when he found out that Dio had been poisoning their father.

"You killed her," Jonathan guessed.

"She was weak when I found her. No matter how much training I put her through, she learned nothing. She was afraid to use her own powers. With those powers, she would have been hunted her entire life. What I did—" she began to shout.

"Was cruel," Jonathan's eyes narrowed.

"It was mercy!" Raven's eyes blazed with red flame.

Jonathan bent his knees and his back to stand in an odd way, his shoulders back, "What you did was a crime and unnecessary. You think it was a kindness? That you're merciful? There may be no one to condemn you for your acts, Raven Branwen, and that is why I, Jonathan Joestar," JoJo pointed at Raven, his fist clenched, and his index finger extended. "will be the one to judge you!"

Raven was silent for a count to five. Then a low chuckle emanated from her mouth. "You're in no shape to fight me, Joestar."

"But I will try," JoJo ceased his pose and raised his fists in an attacking stance.

With a smirk, she instantaneously unsheathed her katana. "If you think I even want the relic, you're sorely mistaken. I already have a target on my back the size of Mistral and taking that relic will just make it bigger." She sliced the air beside her, cutting a red portal into thin air. "Take the relic. You can be Ozpin's guinea pig, and make the target on _your_ back even bigger than it already is." Then she disappeared into the portal, and it closed behind her.

Jonathan exhaled heavily. Ever since stating that he'd be the one to punish her for her crimes, he'd been holding his breath.

"Well," JoJo thought aloud. "That was terrifying."

Then he turned his gaze back to the vault and stepped inside. JoJo walked towards the relic, ignoring the mirage-like imagery around him. Upon closer inspection, the relic was rather large for a lamp. It had a golden casing and handle, but the "glass" glowed a warm blue.

Jonathan picked it up by the handle, the metal surprisingly cool to the touch.

Better get back up top, JoJo thought. There's no telling how that fight is going.

. . .

Dio Brando was on the ropes. Nothing he did injured the Pillar Men, just like with Santana. But Speedwagon seemed to be having some progress. Neither the Pillar Men nor Dio could see this "Stand" of his, and it played to the human's advantage. Speedwagon delivered powerful blows to the ancient Aztecs with an invisible force. Wamuu spun his arms rapidly, creating a hurricane to blast at his opponents. Luckily, Dio and Speedwagon managed to avoid it.

"We have to work together if we want a chance at defeating them!" Speedwagon called out after pulling a large sledgehammer seemingly out of nowhere.

"As if I'd ever agree to that!" Dio roared after blasting Esidisi with heated eye fluids.

"You stupid monst—" Speedwagon was interrupted when Kars managed to slam him in the side. Robert Speedwagon flew for several meters and slammed into a stone pillar, the mystical golden arrow flying from his hand and landing at Dio's feet.

Dio picked the arrow up and inspected it. Strangely enough, he had to pull the arrow away from him because it was straining to dip its point towards him.

Is this what Speedwagon meant by "magnetically drawn?" Dio thought. He tensed, then threw his body to the left to avoid being sliced in two. Kars was standing several feet away from Dio. If he hadn't dodged, Kars's blade would've cleaved right through him. Dio knew there was something off about it. There's no way his "bone blade" could catch the light like that if not for some additional reason.

"You're fast, for a vampire," Kars said. Dio gritted his teeth and got to his feet.

"Fast enough to out-speed you, monster."

Kars only smirked and walked towards Dio at a leisurely pace. Dio resisted the urge to bolt. He was Dio Brando, the future ruler of this world, he refused to run from some supposed "higher being."

The golden arrow continued to struggle in Dio's hand. A new power, Dio recalled. Speedwagon had been fending off the Pillar Men with some sort of invisible power. If he could attain something like that…

"This better work," Dio muttered, then drove the point of the golden arrow into his chest.

. . .

The walk up took a bit longer than Jonathan would have preferred, but he finally arrived aboveground. And the first thing he saw warmed him right down to his bones, it did.

The four members of team RWBY sat on the floor, just holding onto each other. Where Blake had come from, JoJo had absolutely no clue. But there she was, with her team as if she'd never left.

Jonathan stepped off of the lift, alerting RWBY to his presence.

"JoJo!" Ruby gasped, then their eyes were drawn to the golden lamp in his hand.

"Hey, guys," Jonathan chuckled and scratched the side of his face.

"You're hurt," Weiss said.

"Oh, it's nothing. Although, I _am_ starting to feel it. Ouch," JoJo brought his free hand to his shoulder, sending a bit of Hamon into it. Then he scanned the room. Everyone they were fighting was gone. There were some new faces as well, though. Sun Wukong stood with a tall man with black hair and yellow eyes, and a short woman that looked like an older version of Blake. Her parents, he guessed.

When Sun locked eyes with JoJo, the monkey Faunus grinned and jogged over to greet him.

"JoJo!" he high-fived the Joestar.

"Sun! What're you doing here?"

Sun gestured to Blake, "Supporting the troops. Someone had to back her up in the fight."

Jonathan smiled. Sun and his teammate Neptune were among the first to meet JoJo upon his arrival at Beacon. After all this time, it was good to see the Faunus again.

Then he glanced to the side and saw Qrow kneeling next to Oscar. "Hold that thought," Jonathan told him. He strode over to the huntsman and headmaster. Oscar appeared to be completely worn out. Fighting for so long with Ozpin behind the controls was probably exhausting for the young lad.

"Qrow," Jonathan lifted the Relic of Knowledge for them to see.

"We did it," Qrow sighed in relief. "We did it, Oz."

"But we're not finished, are we?" JoJo asked.

"Far from it, kid," Qrow got to his feet and took the relic from Jonathan. "We've got another journey ahead of us."

"Great, I love long journeys," Jonathan rolled his eyes.

Qrow narrowed his eyes. "I think you've been around my nieces too long with that kind of attitude."

"Can you blame me? It took, what, two, three months to get here? And now we're going somewhere else?"

"…Not really, no," Qrow put a hand on the back of his neck. "But now we're going somewhere that no one wants to go—Atlas."

Jonathan's arms went slack. " _Atlas?_ Why?"

"Dunno. That's what Oz said before going dark on us."

JoJo ran a hand through his blue hair. "The others aren't going to like this."

"I know," Qrow sighed. "But they—we don't have a choice." Then he noticed the shard of metal sticking out of Jonathan's shoulder. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine. Just have to remove it and fix it up with a bit of Hamon," JoJo told him. The Joestar looked back to Ruby and the others. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to go catch up with Blake. It's been a while."

Qrow nodded, and JoJo walked back to his friends.

"What's up, JoJo?" Ruby asked when he rejoined them.

Jonathan shook his head and held his injured shoulder. "Just… Glad this battle's over."

"Me too," Weiss sighed. "We can finally take a break and rest for a while."

JoJo moistened his lips. "I'm afraid…" the others looked to him with raised eyebrows. "that we're only just getting started."

 _ **Well, time to begin volume six. Still working out what Jonathan's gonna do to be his own person and significant and all that in the future rather than just following along with the story, but I've learned I get all my ideas as I'm writing it rather than trying to plan it. I know this chapter might not have been the most entertaining to read, unless that's just my own self-doubt in the back of my head when I was writing it. Nevertheless, I'm gonna try to make it more, like, better. If that makes sense. And yeah, Speedwagon has a Stand, and Dio used the Arrow. We'll see how the fight against the Pillar Men goes. But I assure you, a certain boi is going to fight them also.**_

 _ **Stand Master: Robert E. O. Speedwagon**_

 _ **Stand Name: Music Man**_

 _ **Ability: Sending waves of melodious sounds that have different effects depending on the "music notes." Similar to Echoes Part 2. Music Man can literally shoot fire music at its opponents. Range: four meters.**_

 _ **Appearance: ?**_

 _ **Power - B**_

 _ **Speed - C**_

 _ **Range - D**_

 _ **Durability - B**_

 _ **Precision - D**_

 _ **Potential - C**_


End file.
